


The Peacock Princess

by Anthemyst



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Swan Princess AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-04
Updated: 2016-06-24
Packaged: 2018-07-12 06:45:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 22,294
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7089934
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anthemyst/pseuds/Anthemyst
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>*COMPLETED STORY*</p><p>Prince Gabriel and Princess Adele have been betrothed since birth; they couldn't be more different, but over the years they fall in love. Just as their engagement is announced, however, the princess disappears without a trace and is presumed dead.</p><p>Gabriel becomes obsessed with finding her, shutting everything and everyone else out of his life-including Adele's son, Adrien. But Adrien hasn't given up on finding his mother, either. And with the help of a resourceful new friend named Marinette, he just might have a chance.</p><p>Swan Princess AU</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. As Alike as Day and Night

            As long as anyone could remember, Prince Gabriel and Princess Adele had agreed on exactly one thing: Their betrothal was the _worst_.

            It really had seemed like a good idea when they were born; their kingdoms had enjoyed a strong alliance for over three hundred years, open trade had made both nations wealthy, and for several generations both royal families had been slowly preparing for the day the two kingdoms might officially become one. When Adele and Gabriel, heirs to their respective thrones, were born on the same day, mere hours apart, everyone agreed that it was Fate.

            When they were six, they finally met. King William held his daughter on the deck of his Royal Navy’s finest ship, and pointed to the shore. “You see, princess? That little boy down there is your future husband! You’re going to spend every summer here getting to know him until your wedding. Aren’t you excited to meet him?” In response, Adele stuck her tongue out.

            “I’m not marrying him. I’m not marrying anyone! I’m going to be a pirate!” Adele wriggled out of her father’s arms and in the blink of an eye had begun to climb the mast. The king sighed.

            “You can’t be Queen if you’re a pirate!” he called up to her. She stuck her tongue out again, and then continued climbing.

            An hour later, the ship had properly docked, and Queen Uberta had boarded, along with her son. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, your highness,” Prince Gabriel said, so stiffly and formally that William had to suppress a laugh. He took the young Prince’s hand and shook it.

            “It’s an honor to meet you as well, my boy. My daughter...I’m afraid you might have to wait a few more minutes to meet her.” He gestured upward apologetically. Uberta and Gabriel looked up to see the tiny form of the princess waving from the very top of the mast. She waved.

            “I’m going to be a pirate!” she shouted down at them. Before either adult could respond, Gabriel had taken a deep breath.

           “That’s STUPID,” he shouted back at her, louder than his mother had known was possible.

           “YOU’RE stupid!”

           “Pirates get EXECUTED, you know! Anyway, girls can’t be pirates!”

           There was a moment of silence as Adele digested this new information. Then, from seemingly out of nowhere, a pebble dropped out of the sky and hit Prince Gabriel square between the eyes. “Ow!”

            King William and Queen Uberta exchanged a nervous glance.

 

        ~~~

 

            By her third summer in Gabriel’s kingdom, Adele had made friends with the entire staff of the castle, which was no small feat even for her. The palace and its staff were much bigger than at home, but kitchen maid and lady-in-waiting alike fell to her charm, and found themselves drawn into all kinds of little schemes and adventures. She could find a million different ways to entertain herself, none of which, to their parents’ chagrin, ever seemed to include Gabriel.

           “You should make more of an effort to include Gabriel in all your fun, darling,” her father had finally said to her about two weeks in. Adele decided that this advice was open rather widely to interpretation, and responded by putting toads in Gabriel’s bed. This was the kind of scheme that the maids wouldn’t _help_ with, exactly, because they actually did like the prince quite a bit, but they would turn a blind eye to Adele’s not-so-sneaky theft of the bedroom key. Adele carefully placed each toad beneath the heavy quilt of the bed, mere minutes before she knew Gabriel would be returning, then ran back to her quarters giggling madly. She waited eagerly to hear Gabriel’s screams, but ten minutes later they still hadn’t come. Five minutes after that, she began to feel discouraged. Another five, and there was a polite knock at her door.

           Confused, Adele opened it to find Gabriel standing there, quite calmly, holding all five toads. “I believe these are yours,” he said. Adele frowned.

            “They didn’t scare you?”

            “No.”

            “You didn’t hate them?”

           “No.”

           “So…you _like_ toads?” Adele asked hopefully.

            “No. I nothing toads.” Gabriel bent down and placed them calmly at Adele’s feet. She stared at him.

           “You are _boring_ ,” she said. “You’re so boring it’s almost interesting.” Gabriel raised an eyebrow in response, then bowed formally.

           “Goodnight, Princess,” he said.

 

        ~~~

 

           When Gabriel and Adele were 12, their parents began to feel hopeful again. True, Adele still thought Gabriel was boring, and Gabriel remained stubbornly uninterested in anything or anyone outside the castle library. But they were growing up, and starting to notice members of the opposite sex. “Surely they’ll be eager to start courting one another, knowing how much it means to us,” Uberta said to William, possibly because like most adults she had completely forgotten what it was to be twelve.

           Adele and Gabriel mostly avoided each other that summer, no different from any summer that had come before, until one day in late August when the horse master whipped one of his stable boys for not putting Princess Adele’s horse away quickly enough after she was done riding. Adele heard about it a few hours later, and she instantly marched down to give the man a piece of her mind. Half the castle could hear her shouting from across the grounds, uttering language so unbecoming to a princess her father nearly had a stroke. She emerged from the stable fifteen minutes after entering, holding the switch. She marched to the lake, threw it in with all the force she could muster, and then calmly walked back to the castle. That night, she folded her arms stubbornly through three lectures on the proper behavior which befit her station; first, an apoplectic one from her father, then a gentler just-us-girls chat with Uberta, then another one from her father when Uberta failed to get through. It was rather late when they both gave up and decided to go to bed, so Adele was surprised when she heard a light knock at her door ten minutes later.

           “Adele?” a voice whispered. She opened the door.

           “Gabriel?”

           “May I come in for a moment?” Surprised, Adele stepped aside, then closed the door after him. There was an awkward pause.

           “Well?”

           “That was…” Gabriel seemed to be struggling with picking the exact right words, “that was very brave, what you did today.”

           “Oh.” Adele had not expected this response from her straight-laced betrothed, of all people. “Thank you.”

           “I would like to propose an alliance.”

           “An alliance? Gabriel, we’re already-”

           “I know, and I know that you’d rather not be. I think, between your courage and my intellect, you and I could probably accomplish a lot if we were allies. Including...including finding a way out of this betrothal, if you’d like.” Gabriel held his hand out. “What do you think?” After a moment, Adele took his hand and shook it. “Allies, then,” Gabriel said, the corner of his mouth lifting in a half-smile. Adele grinned widely.

           “Friends,” she corrected.

 

        ~~~

 

           On the surface, little about their relationship changed. They still ignored each other for 95% of each summer, and they were still as alike as night and day. Gabriel still spent most of his time studying, and Adele spent most of hers sneaking away from the palace to go on adventures in nearby towns. But occasionally...

           One time when they were thirteen, Adele returned with a rare book from a small antiques shop, and left it on Gabriel’s table in the library.

           The next year, Gabriel dug up some overlooked business on the other side of the kingdom, and Adele got to accompany him, travelling farther than she ever had before, making dozens of new friends along the way.

           The summer after that, Adele made it her mission to see Gabriel laugh, just once. Pretty soon, the entire castle had a betting pool for when she’d finally succeed, which only strengthened Gabriel’s resolve to resist such nonsense. He sat stone-faced through every jester, fool and comedy troupe she threw at him, and rolled his eyes at every prank.

           Finally, it seemed like she’d given up. A week went by with no noticeable attempts made, and Adele had disappeared for the day, when a servant approached Gabriel with an urgent summons to see his mother in her throne room. Gabriel hurried down the hallways and entered the chamber. There, upon his mother’s throne, sat a dignified pug wearing a perfect replica of his mother’s favorite gown-and a perfect replica of her towering wig.

           Ten minutes later, Gabriel was still rolling on the floor in hysterics, and that night the head gardener went home with a good three months’ salary.

           On their sixteenth birthday, Gabriel sent Adele the autobiography of Alfhild the Pirate Queen.

 

        ~~~

 

           One year later, King William became ill. The doctors predicted a full recovery after a few months of bedrest, but Adele was all nerves that summer. She barely left her room, and wouldn’t respond to any invitations to all her usual favorite activities. After about a month, Gabriel finally looked in on her personally.

           To his surprise, she was surrounded by books, reading a particularly thick tome and chewing her nails. She didn’t look up as he entered her room.

           “What on earth are you doing, Princess?” he asked.

           “How do you do it?” she asked. “I...I thought I was prepared to run a kingdom, Gabriel, I really did, I know I goof off a lot but in lessons I’m actually quite good! But then Father became ill, and I had to run so many meetings and make so many decisions without him, and it’s not that anything went _wrong_ exactly but it was just so overwhelming, there’s just so much I still don’t _know_ -”

           “You’re babbling,” Gabriel said, but Adele continued on as though he hadn’t interrupted her.

           “And I thought, I thought I could use this summer to study up, you know? But the more I read the more confused I get, the more I’m sure I don’t know anything, and…” she trailed off as Gabriel abruptly left her room. Adele sighed, disappointed, and returned to her tome. She'd always suspected that Gabriel looked down on her, but it still stung to have it confirmed so definitively.

           Half an hour later, Gabriel returned with a precariously balanced stack of books about three feet high. He dumped them on her bed and turned to face her. Adele stared, dumbfounded.

           “The books you are reading are archaic,” Gabriel informed her. “They have no place in modern education. Here.” Gabriel picked up one of the books he’d brought in and threw it to her. “That’s a very sensible introduction to governing. It’s written with stewards in mind, so it should be a good fit for what you’re currently doing. After that you can move on to more specific topics, but don’t touch another book until you finish that one, and don’t rush through it either.”

            Adele thumbed through the text. From the first glance, she could tell this would be much easier to read, and a weight she’d stopped noticing lifted suddenly from her chest. Adele got up to look at the rest of the books on her bed. “I...I don't know what to say, Gabriel. This is all so-hang on, did you write this one?” she asked, picking up a volume on trade negotiations that bore his name.

           “Oh no, I merely edited an existing work,” Gabriel said. “Even modern authors fall into the trap of thinking that being intelligent and being confusing are the same thing, but a _truly_ smart text makes itself understandable to any audience, don’t you agree?”

           In response, Adele dropped the books in her hands and flung her arms around Gabriel.

           “Thank you,” she whispered. Hesitantly, Gabriel hugged her back.

 

        ~~~

 

           A year later, when Adele was eighteen, she became a mother.

           Technically, she acquired a ward, which was a common enough occurrence in noble families. Her second cousin and his wife had been lost at sea, orphaning their three year old son Adrien. Adele hadn’t been particularly close to her cousin, but he’d been her heir, which meant that now Adrien was her heir. Everyone agreed that sending Adrien to live with the royal family was the most sensible thing to do, and nobody was surprised when he arrived that spring.

           What did surprise everyone was how quickly Adele took to her new role.

           Oh, she’d always been good with children, or really anything that needed looking after. The castle grounds were filled with one-eyed cats and three-legged dogs that she’d rescued over the years, and she knew every servant’s child by name and remembered their birthdays more often than not. Other royals, more practical ones who would keep in mind that a second-cousin-once-removed was only an heir until one produced a child of one’s own, might have been more distant and left the day-to-day rearing to nannies and tutors, but never Adele. Adele was a very hands-on guardian from the start, as everyone expected she would be.

           No, what was surprising to everyone, no one more than her own father, was how _responsible_ she suddenly became. Seemingly overnight, the daredevil princess who would ride unbroken horses on a dare and once jumped four stories into a lake, suddenly started worrying about safety, and nutrition, and sensible bedtimes.

           Adele briefly considered delaying or cancelling her annual voyage to Uberta’s kingdom a few months later; she wasn’t sure how much Adrien actually understood about what had happened to his parents, but she worried it might be traumatic if his new guardian _also_ left him to board a ship.

           In the end, she brought Adrien with her. She worried about that being traumatic as well, but she figured any lingering fears Adrien might have should be met head-on as early as possible. As it turned out, she needn’t have worried; Adrien spent the entire three-day voyage pestering the captain and shouting at seagulls. Normally he was much quieter than she’d been as a child, but new things excited him. This was lucky, because Uberta’s castle was filled with more new things than he’d ever seen in his life. Adele spent the first week there simply following him around from one attraction to the next, never tiring of the many gardens, or the stables, or the falconry mews, or the endless woods the castle bordered.

           Gabriel and Adrien didn’t interact much, but one afternoon Adrien happened to drag Adele to the practice rings during Gabriel’s fencing lesson. Adele had actually joined Gabriel for his first lessons about eight years ago, but after a week of exceedingly dull form drills in which exactly no one lost an eye, Adele had grown bored and quit. She hadn’t seen Gabriel fence since.

           He was... _good_. Really, really good. Disciplined, quick, and extremely precise. He defended himself against two assistants with ease, then three, with only the occasional instruction shouted by his master. Finally, the ring was cleared and Gabriel faced off against his master directly. The sparring match lasted a good fifteen minutes before the master finally got a hit. It was clear, even to Adele’s untrained eye, that the two were practically evenly matched-and this fencing master was widely regarded to be the best in Uberta’s kingdom, maybe even the best on the continent.

           When they finished and bowed to one another, Adrien started clapping excitedly. Gabriel looked over and waved. Adrien took this as invitation to duck under the fence into the ring and run over before Adele could stop him.

           When Adele finally managed to join them (climbing the fence was a slightly more difficult task for a full-grown woman in an ankle-length dress), Gabriel was explaining the basics to a wide-eyed Adrien. “And it’s very important to keep your back foot perpendicular, see? Now you do it. Right, and bend your knees. Good. Now practice advancing and retreating like that.” Adrien moved forward and backward, an imaginary sword clutched in his hand.

           “Thanks, Gabriel,” Adele said, smiling. They watched Adrien in comfortable silence for a few minutes as he advanced and retreated his way around the ring, lunging and falling and laughing.

           “You’re better with kids than I thought you’d be,” Adele said finally. Gabriel shrugged.

           “They like it when you treat them like adults,” he replied. From the edge of the ring, Adrien fell down again, laughing gleefully.

           “Mama, I’m ready for a real sword!” Adrien called to her.

           “No you’re not,” Adele shouted back. “Go find a stick outside to practice with instead. Groaning dramatically, Adrien ran for the door. Gabriel looked at Adele, one eyebrow raised.

           “Mama?” he asked. She looked down.

           “I thought about correcting him, but I didn’t have the heart. Anyway, I...I’ve been thinking about adopting him formally,” she confessed nervously. “As my legal son.”

           “Ah.” A pause. “I suppose I’m meant to be offended by that.”

           “Well, everyone I suggested it to certainly seemed to think you would be. I know it’ll make things messy when we unite our kingdoms and get-that is, I mean, _if_ we get-and if we were to have-”

          “Adele,” Gabriel interrupted her. “You should do it.” Adele stared at him, surprised.

           “Really?” she asked.

           “If it were me, I would probably spend half a year or more figuring out all the legal implications in a dozen different political scenarios, weighing the odds of each, but then you and I are very different people. You are quite good at following your heart, and I don’t believe I’ve ever seen it lead you astray. If adopting Adrien feels right to you, it probably is. We can figure out the inheritance details later.”

           Adele smiled. “That’s very good advice, Gabriel, thank you.” There was another silence.

           “He looks more like you than I expected,” Gabriel finally said. “For a second cousin once removed.”

           “Oh,” Adele said. “It’s the eyes. Everyone in my family seems to have them.”

           “Actually, I was referring to the smile.”

           Adrien ran back in just then, preventing them from discussing the topic further, but Adele couldn’t quite hide her blush before leaving.

 

        ~~~

 

           The wedding was set for their 20th birthday, the traditional age of regent majority in their lands. Preparations had technically begun years ago, but it was the next summer that they really began in earnest.

           “About our alliance,” Gabriel started, after tracking Adele down in a garden one afternoon. She looked up, eager.

           “You finally have a plan?” she asked. Gabriel paused a moment.

           “Yes...yes, I think I have something. You see, we’ve been having some difficulties at the northern border, some land disputes, little skirmishes. It’s always been a problem area, but it’s grown more serious lately and it will require a lot of attention.”

           Adele frowned. “I don’t think that’s going to be a good enough excuse to delay the wedding.”

           “It will be,” Gabriel assured her, “If you’re the diplomat I send to handle it.”

           Adele took a minute to absorb this. “You want me to be _your_ diplomat? I’m not even a citizen of this kingdom.”

           “Not yet,” said Gabriel, “But as far as anyone knows, you will be soon enough. You’ll be co-regent, in fact. Besides, you were born to be a diplomat, making friends is like breathing for you.”

           “Well-”

           “Besides, wasn’t Adrien’s mother from the north? They’ll like that you made him your heir, I’m sure.”

           “Gabriel, I don’t want you making major foreign policy decisions just to-”

           “Please,” he interrupted her. “Please, Adele, I would have asked you anyway. I think you will be an amazing peacemaker. Please say you’ll do this for me.” It was the first time Adele could ever remember seeing Gabriel actually look nervous. She took his hand and squeezed it.

           “Of course, of course I’ll do it.”

 

        ~~~

 

           Their parents weren’t happy, of course, although Queen Uberta agreed that it was probably in the best interests of her kingdom to delay the wedding if it meant an end to the fighting in the north.King William, whose kingdom was getting much less out of the arrangement, was more skeptical, but he agreed as well, so the next year instead of getting married, Adele prepared to depart for the north with a diplomatic commission.

           “It will only be a few years at the most,” Adele assured him. Her father sighed.

           “I don’t know why you continue to fight this. I know you two didn’t get along when you were younger, but you’re good friends now.”

           “Yes,” agreed Adele, “And that isn’t going to change, _and_ it didn’t require anyone being forced into a loveless marriage, either.”

           “You would learn to love each other,” her father insisted. “Your mother and I did, after all.”

           “Just because arranged marriages have worked in the past,” Adele said, “doesn’t mean they’re _best_.”

           There was a silence. This was an argument they’d had many, many times before, ground that had been covered over and over, and neither of them really wanted to cover it again right before Adele officially left.

           “I shall miss your guidance,” William finally said. “I’d just gotten used to letting you run half the place.”

          “I’ll write,” Adele promised, “And I’ll return if there’s need.” She hugged her father, and kissed him goodbye.

 

        ~~~

 

           Gabriel was right; Adele was a born diplomat. She quickly befriended the leaders of both sides, and settled into her new life. It was strange to live year-round on the border of _two_ foreign kingdoms, but it began to feel like home sooner than Adele had expected. And bringing Adrien north had worked out beautifully; Adele was grateful for the opportunity to introduce him to part of his heritage, and the northerners loved that she’d adopted him as heir to her kingdom.

           However, while relations were immediately friendly, and hostilities all but ceased within the first year, actually hammering out the official alliance was more complicated than Adele had expected. The problem was, the northern tribes weren’t really united under any leadership with real negotiating power-so instead of one border, Adele found she had to negotiate practically a dozen. And it was very clear that whichever of Gabriel’s ancestors had originally set the borders, he had very little understanding of the actual geography of the region. “A few years at most” quickly turned into three, then four.

            Adele had to answer angry letters from her father at least once a month, but as things were relatively uneventful back home, she remained where she was. Letters from Gabriel were less urgent, but more frequent-Adele kept him current on everything, and he often had advice whenever talks stalled. If she wrote that she needed a more experienced cartographer, Gabriel would have one sent within the month. And if Gabriel was struggling with politics in his own court, he’d write to Adele and she’d have some solution more often than not.

           Adele was surprised at how much she missed Gabriel, when the first summer rolled around and she didn’t make her annual trip to his castle, even though they were probably communicating more now than they ever had before.

           Time seemed to pass differently on the border, or perhaps it was just that Adrien was growing up and to mothers everywhere this seems to happen in the blink of an eye. In any case, time did pass, and negotiation after negotiation was made, and finally, almost five years after they’d arrived, Adele realized the day had come to prepare the trip back home.

          Her official engagement was at hand.


	2. The Engagement

           The trip back to the capital city took about a week, and Adele spent most of it reading over her most recent letters from Gabriel, trying to get as familiar as possible with the state of things in his court before returning. Occasionally Adrien would ask a question; he seemed a little nervous, but mostly excited. Adele wanted to tell him about what children his age would be living there as well, but her information outside of letters was five years out of date, and the children of servants and minor nobles was not the kind of detail Gabriel naturally remembered to include.

           A grand ball was to be held in Adele’s honor, both in celebration of her success and to welcome her home, set for the evening of her return. She’d expected to arrive with at least a few hours to prepare, but due to a thrown shoe around noon the final day, they were running quite late. The sun was setting when Adrien finally yawned and asked how much longer it would take to get to the castle. Adele glanced out the window, getting a sense of how far they were.

           “Probably still a few more hours, love,” she told him. He nodded and took out a pillow.

           “I’ll just nap until we get there,” he said, “I don’t want to be tired for the dance.” He leaned against the side of the carriage and closed his eyes.

           “Good idea,” Adele said, leaning over and kissing Adrien’s brow. “Sleep well, my darling. I love you.”

           In the coming months, this would be one of Adele’s only comforts: That, if she had known then this would be the last thing Adrien would hear her say, she wouldn’t have changed a single word.

 

        ~~~

 

           The convoy arrived two hours later; the banquet was in full swing, so they pulled around the back to allow Adele to sneak in and get ready without attracting attention. Adrien was out like a light, and he’d had a long week, so Adele decided to let him keep sleeping; there would be other dances, after all. She had a guard scoop him up and carry him to his new room in the castle. In the meantime, she followed Lady Nathalie to a hastily-assembled dressing chamber, where several maids waited to help Adele out of her travel worn clothing and prepare for the ball as quickly as possible.

         “I can't tell you how mortified I am about all this,” Nathalie said, as one maid started brushing Adele’s hair roughly, and another started trying to match jewelry to her eyes. “If it had been up to me, the ball wouldn’t have been for another week at least, but Her Majesty insisted it be held as soon as possible. Well, at least your entrance will be spectacular.”

         Gabriel had hired Nathalie right before Adele left for the north, and he had often written in high praise of her abilities; Adele could finally see why. A steward who was also a lady, especially in service to a prince and future king, was highly unusual, but Nathalie was an unstoppable force of efficiency. Nathalie was, Adele realized, the kind of woman she’d always assumed Gabriel might fall for one day.

           Adele found herself wondering how Gabriel felt about Nathalie personally, and then wondering why she would care.

           In about fifteen minutes, Adele was thoroughly transformed. Loose braids held up about half her hair, with the rest of it falling gracefully over her bare shoulders; the bodice of her dress was a light green that matched her eyes, and the skirt slowly shifted into vibrant jewel tones as it reached the floor. Small gems hung from her ears and were scattered in her hair. Nathalie shooed the maids away, looked at Adele for three seconds, and nodded briskly. “Good. Wait here, and I’ll make sure everything’s ready for your entrance.” She walked out, and Adele was left alone in the room.

           Adele walked over to the full-length mirror; Gabriel hadn’t seen her in five years, and now he’d be seeing this. It felt fake, somehow. The whole thing felt fake, actually; the ball was ostensibly to honor Adele, but she had the distinct impression from the way her father had written about it that he and Uberta were hoping to publicly announce an engagement by the end of the evening. Why did everything have to be so loaded all the time? Couldn’t she just have a minute to settle in, get used to being back? Couldn’t she just quietly reunite with her best friend without the whole world watching?

           “All right, everything’s set,” Nathalie said, re-entering the room. “We’re ready to announce you.”

           “If I could have a minute,” Adele said, sitting down and breathing heavily. “Sorry, I just, it all kind of hit me at once.”

           Nathalie frowned. “What did?”

           “Just…” Adele waved a hand around vaguely as she tried to get her heart to slow down. “Seeing...everyone, after so long. All those expectations. All that build-up. Just seems like a bit much.”

           “ _ Oh _ ,” Nathalie said knowingly. “I see. I wouldn’t worry about it. “Everyone” is very nervous about seeing you again, too. In fact, “everyone” hasn’t been able to focus on anything else all week, it’s been very annoying. I’m certainly looking forward to your reunion with “everyone”, so “everyone” can finally start focusing on his duties again. Come.” Before Adele could figure out what Nathalie was talking about, Nathalie had taken Adele’s hand and was leading her out the room and down the corridor.

           Nathalie quickly led Adele down the halls of the castle; once this place had felt as familiar as her own home but now, after so much time away the grandeur was intimidating. Adele wished she could have had a moment to get reaquainted with everything, but there was no time. Finally, they were in the wings at the top of the grand staircase; Adele couldn’t see much of the room from where she was, but she could tell from the murmur of the giant ballroom that the room was packed. Nathalie gestured to a footman, who walked to the middle of the top of the staircase and began to announce Adele to the room.

           “Presenting! Her Royal Highness, Ambassador of the Crown, back from her successful mission to the northern border, the Princess Adele!”

           Nathalie gave Adele a little shove, and suddenly Adele was standing in front of everyone.

           Adele stood there, feeling more than a little awkward, nervously scanning the crowd as it applauded her energetically.

           And then, she saw him. He was standing very near the foot of the stairs, looking up at her. He didn't smile-he almost never smiled-but he visibly relaxed when their eyes met.

           The rest of the room melted away, along with all of Adele’s anxieties. Suddenly, her years of objections seemed silly. All that mattered was that, after five long years of separation, she was finally about to be reunited with Gabriel, and she never wanted to leave him again.

           To the shock of everyone assembled (except her father who, quite frankly, was expecting something worse) Adele hitched her skirt up all the way to her knees and ran down the staircase, taking the steps two or three at a time. She practically flew into Gabriel’s arms, the momentum pushing him backwards about three steps. “I missed you so much,” she whispered. Finally, he got over his surprise and hugged her back.

           “I...I missed you too, Adele. Very much. It's wonderful to have you back.”

           The band leader, whose sense of dramatic timing was to be commended, started playing a waltz. “Shall we?” Gabriel asked. Adele smiled and nodded.

           They spun around the room gracefully. “You've gotten better at this,” Gabriel said.

           “You know, I've really missed your confused idea of what a compliment sounds like,” Adele replied, still smiling.

           “You really have, though. Were there many dances up north?” Adele nodded.

           “Dances, dinners, an arm wrestling competition once…”

           Gabriel lifted an eyebrow. “You're joking.”

           “I'll tell you all about it later. Gabriel, I want to apologize.” He looked confused.

           “Apologize? You've just come back from doing my kingdom a great service.”

           “I know, but...you remember, I didn't initially take the job with the most noble of intentions. And seeing you here, now, after all this time, it's hitting me how immature that was. Because, well,” Adele tried to curb her impulse to babble, “The thing is, I've just realized that...that I'm in love with you and nothing would make me happier than spending the rest of my life at your side.” She said this last part in a rush, before she could lose her nerve, so Gabriel needed a moment to make sure he'd heard her correctly.

           “I...really?” Adele nodded emphatically, and now Gabriel actually did smile. They stopped dancing, and Adele noticed for the first time that they were the only pair on the floor; every other guest was just circled around them, watching excitedly. Gabriel cleared his throat loudly, and the band stopped playing.

           “The Princess Adele and I,” he said loudly, “are pleased to announce our official engagement!”

           The room exploded in cheers. The band started playing a lively number, guests started to approach them with congratulations, and their parents each looked like they weren't quite sure this wasn't all a wonderful dream. No one seemed to notice that Adele was frowning.

           “Wait...wait...WAIT!” Adele finally shouted, and all the noise died down at once. Gabriel looked at her, concerned.

           “Wait? What’s wrong?”

           “Nothing, I just…” Adele glanced around at the giant crowd hanging on their every word. She leaned close and whispered, “I just said a lot of very personal, vulnerable things, Gabriel. Before our engagement is official, is there maybe anything personal and vulnerable you’d like to say back? About why you want to marry me?”

           “Why wouldn't I want to marry you? Combining our kingdoms will benefit both greatly, and you clearly have the skills to make an exemplary ruler. It's perfect.”

           Adele tried to remain patient. “Anything else? Anything that's not about my kingdom, or my political abilities, but just about...me?”

           Gabriel thought for a moment. “No, that's sufficient,” he finally replied.

           Something snapped inside Adele, and without another word she stormed off, dozens of guests hurriedly getting out of her way. King William sighed and followed after her.

 

        ~~~

 

           “‘No, that’s  _ sufficient _ ’?” Nathalie asked, after the guests had dispersed and Gabriel had finally gotten a chance to explain what had happened. Usually she was the height of professionalism, but now she allowed a hint of sarcasm to seep into her tone.

           “I still don’t see what the problem is, if we’re being honest,” Gabriel replied, pacing anxiously around his study.

           “You should write a book,” Nathalie said.

           “I  _ have _ written books, actu-”

           “How to Offend Women in Five Syllables or Less,” she continued, as though Gabriel hadn’t spoken.

           “Nathalie, please. Everything I said was perfectly rational, and Adele responded completely emotionally.”

           “Have you actually  _ met _ Adele before, sir? Or any other human person? Engagements are generally emotional.”

           “Maybe for everybody else, but not royalty. I don’t have the luxury of just thinking of myself, and neither does Adele. She knows that.”

         “She does,” agreed Nathalie. “What she doesn't know is how you’d feel if you  _ did _ have that luxury.”

           Gabriel blinked. “I don’t see the relevance.” Nathalie pinched the bridge of her nose and let out a long sigh.

           “Adele  _ cares about you _ ,” she said slowly. “She cares how you feel, even if you don’t. She doesn’t want you to marry a woman you don’t love. And don't act like you don't understand that, because you obviously feel the same way about her. If you didn't, you would have married her five years ago.”

           “Oh...oh, I see.”

           “You  _ do _ want to marry her, don't you? Thrones and politics aside?”

           “Well, of course,” Gabriel said matter-of-factly. “She’s extraordinary. She's intelligent in ways I'll never be, she's both fearless and kind, and she always knows what’s right. Whoever marries her will be one of the luckiest men in the world. But that’s just...fact. Surely everyone feels that way?”

           “No,” Nathalie said patiently. “Everyone does not feel that way. Just you. Because you're in love with her.”

           This was new information to Gabriel. “And...that's all she needs to hear?”

           “That’s all.”

           Gabriel headed for the door. “Then I'd better find her and tell her.”

 

      ~~~

 

           King William, meanwhile, had followed his daughter all the way back to her carriage, and they were now riding away in silence.

           “It's nice to see you again,” he’d said about five minutes in.

           “It's nice to see you as well, Father,” Adele said stiffly, glaring out the window at the world in general.

           The king waited patiently for his daughter to stop sulking. She continued to glare out the window, arms folded, for a good half hour. Finally, she rolled her eyes. “I know you’ve got some lecture you’re just dying to give me, so let’s get it over with,” she said, still avoiding eye contact.

           King William sighed. “I just don’t understand it. In every single other aspect, you have grown into a mature, accomplished young woman. You are a caring mother and a shrewd leader. You have exceeded even the wildest ambitions I have had for you. But in this, you haven’t grown an inch since you were six years old. Why?”

           Adele said nothing.

           “I really did think you’d come around after your touching, if indecorous, reunion.”

           Adele remained silent, but a faint blush began to creep up her neck.

           “Gabriel seemed so convinced that you'd be happy about the announcement, which I thought was odd because this whole week he was the only one insisting that you’d want to wait.”

           Adele relaxed a bit. “He was?”

           “Yes...well, obviously I knew you’d  _ want _ to wait, but Gabriel was the only one who thought that meant we actually should.”

           “Huh.”

           The king glanced at the floor of the carriage and noticed a letter. He picked it up. “Is this from Gabriel?” Instantly, Adele snatched it out of his hands.

           “That’s private. Well...no, actually, it probably isn’t.” She handed the letter back to her father, her blush growing.

           “I see.” He opened it, and read silently. “How often did you and Gabriel write to each other for advice while you were away?” Adele shrugged.

           “Once a week? Sometimes more often, I suppose.”

           “And after all that, you still don't want to marry him?”

           “He’s the one who doesn't want to marry me!” Adele shouted. She covered her mouth with her hand, shocked at herself. Her father stared at her, comprehension finally dawning.

           “Adele, you can't possibly think that.”

           “Oh, I know he wants to marry the  _ kingdom _ ,” she said bitterly. “I know he wants to marry the accomplished diplomat. But that’s it.” She let out a low sigh. “It might have actually been bearable if I wasn't in love with him. At least then we could have been friends.”

           “You really think he’s not in love with you?”

           “Honestly, I'm beginning to question whether he's capable of the emotion at all.”

           “The prince is...not particularly expressive,” the king allowed. Adele scoffed. “But you knew that already,” he continued. “You might know him better than anyone else. He’s too dutiful to say how he feels; you have to look at how he acts. Just take a moment to think, really think, about how Gabriel acts with you.”

           Adele considered this. She tried to think of examples, evidence in Gabriel’s actions that he loved her. There was a lot, actually-the time he’d helped her when her father was ill, his acceptance of Adrien, his willingness to delay their marriage in the first place, when he was so obviously in favor of it-

           And then, it occurred to Adele that looking for evidence would have been Gabriel’s approach. It wasn't a bad approach, but she didn't need it. “You are quite good at following your heart,” Gabriel had said to her once. So she closed her eyes and did that.

           A minute later they were open again. “You're absolutely right,” she said, “I'm being an idiot. Turn the carriage around.” The king smiled and leaned out the window to give the order.

           They rode back in silence for a few minutes. Abruptly, Adele leaned over and hugged her father.

           “Thank you,” she said. Her father smiled to himself and kissed the top of Adele’s head in response.

           “I'm very proud of you, you know,” he told her. She grinned.

           A few minutes later, something black fluttered through the window and landed on Adele’s dress.

           “What's that?” the king asked. Adele squinted.

           “It’s a...butterfly, I think? I don't recognize the breed, I don't think it’s native.”

           Another butterfly fluttered through the opposite window. This one landed right on Adele’s hand, and she brought it up to her face for a closer look. There was a vibrant purple pattern on the edge of its wings, unnaturally vivid.

           “Maybe we should draw the curtains?”

           “No, they don't usually swarm-”

           And then they were everywhere.

        ~~~

 

           Gabriel spotted Adele’s carriage in the distance, much sooner than he expected to. The first thing he noticed was that it was headed  _ back _ to his castle, and he smiled.

           Then he noticed that it wasn’t actually moving closer.

           It was hard to see in the dark and the rain, but the horses seemed stuck in place, and very nervous. It wasn’t until Gabriel was almost upon it that he realized the carriage was sideways. He dismounted frantically, leaving his two guards behind and running forward.

           The door was ripped off its hinges, the driver was lying dead in the road, and Gabriel could hear a weak groan coming from inside the sideways vehicle. He looked in and saw King William, but no Adele. Quickly he pulled the king out, his guards finally arriving to help with the task.

           “What happened?” Gabriel asked, as soon as the king was laid down safely.

           “A great black cloud...butterfly cloud,” he said weakly, his eyes unfocused.

           “Who attacked you?” Gabriel tried again, but the light in the king’s eyes was clearly beginning to fade.

           “He’s not what he seems,” whispered the king. Gabriel tried one more time.

           “What about your daughter? Where is Adele?”

           “...took her…” the king whispered, just as the final breath left his body. Gabriel leaned forward to check for a pulse, then sighed in defeat. He looked at his guards.

           “You,” he said, pointing at the closer of the two, “Ride back to the castle as fast as you can. Tell them everything,  _ everything _ , and then bring every man available to come out and search the forest. You and I,” he gestured to the remaining guard, “will begin searching for the princess at once.”

           “But sir,” the second guard said, as the first one quickly left, “There’s no sign of anyone leaving, in any direction. There’s no hint of which direction to look in first.”

           Gabriel’s face hardened. “Then we’ll search every direction,” he replied.

 

        ~~~

 

           Gabriel searched all night, along with two dozen of his best men. When the sun rose, they were replaced by another two dozen, and the search continued well into the morning. Finally, though, about ten hours after the princess had gone missing, Gabriel’s captain had insisted that the prince go back.

         “With all due respect, my lord, you're dead on your feet. You don't do the princess any favors by killing yourself.”

         But Gabriel couldn't sleep, so he sat in conference with his mother and several high-ranking representatives from both their kingdoms, as they decided what to do next.

         “With King William deceased, our whole kingdom will be in mourning,” William’s steward Lord Damocles said. “Traditionally, we would withdraw from most foreign courts for that period, and suspend most plans, but seeing as how our new queen is...missing, somewhere in  _ this _ kingdom, we will have to at least leave a small force behind to lead the search.” The steward shook his head. “I'm afraid the unification of our kingdoms will have to be suspended indefinitely.”

         Queen Uberta nodded. “Of course,” she agreed, “we couldn't possibly proceed without Adele.”

         “In the meantime, I will need to leave with Prince Adrien at once.”

         Gabriel, who had mostly been staring blankly at the middle distance during the conversation, glared suddenly at the man. “You are not taking Adele’s son away,” he said. “We’ll find her soon, and I don't want their reunion to be delayed any further because we sent Adrien away prematurely.”

         “I understand your reluctance, but it's important for the stability of the region-”

         “How is it stable to put an inexperienced ten year old on Adele’s throne while she’s still alive?”

         “Forgive me, your highness, but it's not your place to say how Adele’s kingdom is run-not yet. There are very clear protocols in place for when a regent’s fate is unknown, and history shows it’s better to not drag out these kinds of difficult transitions.”

         “Drag out? She hasn't even been missing a day!”

         “If I may.” Nathalie spoke up for the first time in the discussion. “If I recall the protocols of your kingdom correctly, Adrien is not eligible for the throne for another ten years. When a regent dies unexpectedly-or goes missing,” she added quickly, before Gabriel could object, “and their heir is not yet of age, the throne is unoccupied, and the kingdom is managed by the late king’s advisors. Lord Damocles, you are technically the one who will be taking control for the time being, is that right?”

         “Well, yes,” the man admitted, “but it's important that the heir be seen taking an active part in governance.”

         “I understand completely-and yet, he is still very young. Would it not be more appropriate for him to get some traditional experience for a few years first? I know his mother was already beginning to seek out opportunities for him.”

         “What are you suggesting?”

         “A fosterage. Prince Gabriel will take him on as a squire, and we’ll see to his education. Our court is, forgive me, far larger than your own; Prince Adrien will be introduced to leaders from across the continent, and he’ll begin to forge connections and alliances. Meanwhile, we’ll be maintaining the rich relationship our kingdoms have enjoyed for generations. It's a very good opportunity for both sides.”

         The steward considered this. “How long?”

         “Three, four years?”

         Lord Damocles nodded. “This is acceptable.”

         Everyone at the table looked at Gabriel. Finally, he sighed and nodded. “It won't take that long to find her, of course,” he insisted, “but in the meantime, Adrien must remain here.”

         “Are you guys talking about me?”

         All eyes flew instantly to the door. There stood Adrien, still in the clothes he’d arrived in last night, clearly just woken up. He yawned. “Mama said she'd wake me up for the ball but I guess it was too late.” He rubbed one eye and looked around the room, frowning. “Where is she?”

 

      ~~~

 

         Gabriel still couldn't sleep. The look on Adrien’s face, when they'd finally managed to tell him what had happened, appeared every time Gabriel closed his eyes.

         He looked so much like her.

         He saw Adele too, of course-Adele smiling, running into his arms, whispering into his ear, storming off angrily.

         How could he have been so blind?

         He’d spent so long suppressing his own desires, thinking only of his kingdom, that he’d never even noticed how deeply he'd fallen for her. How much he relied on her, how he looked forward to every letter. How her talents perfectly complemented his own, how much her needed the comfort of her advice.

         Trying to figure out what to do next was impossible; Gabriel couldn't go five seconds without accidentally thinking, “I should ask Adele, she'll know what to do.” Without Adele to turn to, even in a letter, Gabriel was incomplete, as though he'd lost some vital sense.

           “Wherever you are, Adele,” Gabriel whispered into the darkness, “No matter what it takes, I will find you.”


	3. Two Years Later

        Prince Adrien was convinced that his mother’s kidnapping was his fault.

           Oh, he would never say it out loud-not that he said much of anything out loud these days. He felt embarrassed just thinking it, but all the same the thought wouldn't go away.

           The closest anybody ever came to suggesting he might have had even the slightest thing to do with it was to shake their head, cluck their tongue, and observe that tragedy just seemed to follow him around, poor thing, didn't it?

           Adrien had a different theory.

           See, Adrien was used to adults shaking their heads and saying how sad and brave he must be, whenever they heard about what had happened to his first parents-his ‘real’ parents. But the truth was, he never felt nearly as sad as everyone expected him to be. He barely remembered his parents at all, and everything he knew about them felt like he’d read it in an old history book. Even when he talked to people who had known them, he couldn't seem to connect to their sadness the way they expected him to. It wasn’t an overwhelming hole in his chest, just a gentle ache that he usually didn't even notice.

           Adrien was certain, to the core of his being, that if he'd been sad enough about his first mother’s death, Fate wouldn't have felt it necessary to take the second one away from him too.

           “You see?” Adrien imagined Fate whispering to him sometimes. “This is how you were _supposed_ to feel all along.”

           Adele’s disappearance was a knife in his heart, that twisted every time he forgot she wasn't there, and he had no intention of ever healing or moving on from that pain.

 

        ~~~

 

           Of course, he kept this to himself. It would only bother people, and Adrien was terrified of being a bother. On the surface, he was agreeable and polite. Adrien found that his presence seemed to confuse people, and for the most part they were happier when they didn’t have to think about him.

           Technically, he was a squire, but Gabriel was consumed with solving the mystery of what had happened to Adele, and didn’t seem to want much to do with Adrien-

           (Adrien had no idea, of course, that Gabriel looked at him and saw only Adele, that when he looked at Adrien he was consumed with guilt and regret and so he simply avoided him. Adrien only knew that Gabriel didn’t like him.)

           -and so he’d delegated Adrien’s education and training to his right hand, Nathalie.

           Some courtiers thought to get ahead of the game by cozying up to Adrien directly, figuring that the princess was almost certainly dead anyway, and that Adrien would be more approachable before he was officially declared King. But they soon found that any suggestion, even if it was only indirect, even if it was only by treating him like a king instead of a squire, any suggestion at all that Adele was dead, would completely shut Adrien down. He’d become very, _very_ polite, and quite distant, and in the space of a minute he’d have found some excuse to leave the room. After nearly two years of this, almost all ambitious courtiers and noblemen had gotten the hint.

            _Almost_ all.

           “Ohhhhh Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaadrikens! Where are you, my prince? I’ve missed you so much!”

           Adrien groaned as he sprinted down the hallways; he knew the castle layout better than Lady Chloe did, so he could always avoid her for a little while, but she was relentless in her pursuit. Adrien vaguely remembered the Duke of Bourgeois's name in the list of nobles Nathalie had rattled off this morning, those arriving today for the masquerade, but somehow it hadn’t clicked that the Duke would be bringing his daughter. Adrien ducked down a narrow corridor, just as Chloe turned a corner.

           “Adrien!” she called out again, with a lilt that was as high as it was over-rehearsed. “My sweet, where are you? Ugh, where did that useless maid say he’d gone again? I swear, when I catch him I’m gonna…” Lady Chloe continued to grumble to herself, in a voice very different from the one she put on for Adrien, as she marched further and further away. Adrien breathed a sigh of relief, then went through the door at the end of the corridor.

           The door, it turned out, was the servants’ back entrance to one of the smaller kitchens. It was currently empty, but even at this time of day there were bound to be cooks and maids coming in and out sooner rather than later. Adrien ducked into a small pantry and shut the door, then sat on the floor and waited for the danger to pass.

           About ten minutes later, he heard people come in and start preparing food. And a few minutes after that, he heard a very familiar voice.

           “... _positive_ he came this way,” Lady Chloe was insisting, “And he’s going to want to see me as soon as possible, so if you don’t help me find him then _you’re_ going to be in big _trouble_ , understand?”

           “Look...my lady,” replied a voice that was young, but clearly very exhausted, “I work in the kitchens. My parents work in the kitchens. Everyone I know is who works in the kitchens. That does _not_ include the prince you lost. I think I would have noticed if I’d seen a member of the royal family just run-”

           And that’s when the girl opened the door to Adrien’s pantry.

           At first, Adrien was worried that it had been Chloe who opened the door, but this girl was clearly a servant, with a smudge of flour on her cheek. Her dark hair was pulled back into low pigtails, and on the bridge of her nose were the faintest suggestion of freckles. Before she’d noticed Adrien she’d looked as though she’d been ready to punch Chloe in the face, ladyship or no, and for that alone Adrien thought she was probably the most beautiful girl he’d ever seen.

           She stared down at him, her brain quickly piecing together what was going on. Adrien stared back up at her, eyes wide and begging. “ _I’m not here_ ” he mouthed silently, shaking his head.

           The servant girl nodded ever so slightly, then reached past Adrien and pulled out a bag of sugar and closed the door. “I’m just ever so sure you must have the wrong place,” she continued sweetly. “I mean, _most_ nobles think it’s far too demeaning to be in the _kitchens_ of all places.”

           “Well of _course_ it’s de _meaning_ ,” Chloe replied, before realizing what she was saying. “I mean...ugh, you’re right, of course my future fiance wouldn’t be caught dead down here.” She stormed out in a huff, and a minute later the girl opened the door again.

           “I think you’re safe now,” she told Adrien.

           “Thanks,” he said, getting up and dusting off his flour-covered pants. “Um...I’m Adrien, it’s nice to meet you,” he said, holding his hand out. The girl shook it.

           “Marinette,” she replied. “It’s nice to meet you, too, your highness.”

           “Really, though” he said. “You have no idea how much you just saved me. Lady Chloe is…”

           “A social-ladder climbing leech?” Marinette suggested. Adrien winced.

           “I was going to say ‘persistent’.”

           “Well,” Marinette said, seemingly unfazed that she’d just insulted nobility to another noble’s face, “feel free to hide here, but if you stay you have to help me bake the cakes for tonight.” She smiled. “Just kidding, stay as long as you like.”

           “No, no! I’d love to help, that sounds really fun.”

           And so it was that Adrien and Marinette spent the rest of the morning together. Marinette was happy for the company, but assumed that a prince wouldn’t know the first thing about baking a cake and that she’d have to closely watch everything he did if she didn’t want to spend an extra two hours fixing his ‘help’. Instead, he turned out to be a very good assistant, and they finished an hour early.

           “We didn’t have kitchens like these back on the northern border,” he explained when he noticed her shocked expression. “Just one cook and his assistant, and sometimes at the diplomatic dinners we’d need to serve this complicated local stuff he’d never seen, so Mama and I would…” he trailed off, then shrugged. “Anyway, this isn’t the first kitchen I’ve been in. You’re much better than I am, though.”

           Marinette laughed. “I should hope so, it’s basically the only thing I’ve ever done my whole life.” She sounded a little wistful as she said this.

           Just as they were finishing, another cook entered the room. “Marinette, sweetie, I’m afraid I’ll need you to finish a little faster than we’d-oh, you’re done already.” The woman seemed confused, before she noticed the prince. “Your Highness!” She curtsied deeply. “Ah...Marinette, did you offer the prince anything to eat?”

           “Um.” Marinette bit her lower lip nervously. “No, I forgot Mama, I’m sorry. Your highness, would you-” Before she could even finish her sentence, her mother had already slammed a plate of cookies down between the two teens and cuffed Marinette’s ear.

           “Ow!”

           “Manners!” her mother scolded. Then she smiled at Adrien. “Hello dear, I’m Sabine. It’s very nice to see you again after all this time. How are you?”

           “Mmph,” he’d already taken a bite of a cookie, which he swallowed in a hurry, “I’m fine...sorry, see me again?”

           “Yes, your mother used to bring you down here all the time. Of course you were probably too young to remember, you would have been...four? That’s right, because you and Marinette are about the same age, and the last time she was down here, your mother, she had these little candied violets for Marinette’s birthday.” Sabine sighed. “She was one of a kind, your mother. Knew every servant by name, even though she only ever came here for summer, asked after every new baby, remembered every birthday. No one at this castle will ever forget her.”

           Adrien stiffened. “There’s nothing to forget,” he said. “She’s coming back.”

           “Oh, of course she is, honey!” Sabine said, a little too quickly. Adrien stood up.

           “I'm terribly sorry, I'm afraid I've taken up too much of your valuable time,” he said. “Besides, I've been here a few hours now and I'm certain people will be looking for me.” Adrien bowed. “Thank you very much, and I do hope to see you both again.”

           To his surprise, Sabine hugged him tightly. Adrien wasn't used to servants hugging him...or anyone hugging him, actually. It was nice.

           “Adele’s son is _always_ welcome here,” she whispered to him. “Don't forget that.”

 

        ~~~

 

           There was nobody looking for Adrien, and he knew it.

           The only person who ever would be was Nathalie, but she was busy with the masquerade preparations today. Later, she would probably want him around to greet guests, but Adrien had a few more hours at least, so he headed to the library. Normally he avoided the place, but at times like this he just needed to be around the only other person in the kingdom who believed his mother was still alive.

           Queen Uberta’s palace library was the largest personal library in the world, thanks in no small part to Gabriel’s efforts in his younger days. It took Adrien a few minutes to reach Gabriel’s usual spot, in a back corner with a huge table, the entire surface covered in books. Gabriel did not look up as Adrien approached. Adrien picked up the top book from a stack near the edge.

           “Put that down,” Gabriel said, still not looking up. “It’s useless; it predates my latest breakthrough.”

           This would be Gabriel’s fifth breakthrough, the other four having ultimately lead to dead ends. Still, Adrien couldn’t help feeling a little hopeful. He walked around the table to look at Gabriel’s newest discovery. “What do you have?”

           In response, Gabriel showed him his book. Adrien squinted.

           “I don’t know this language...I don’t even recognize the writing system. Whose kingdom is this from?”

           “I haven’t figured that out yet. I have a friend at the University who specializes in dead languages, I’ll be leaving at once to consult him.” Normally the University was a four-day carriage ride away, but Adrien had seen this before; Gabriel would be riding a single horse, as fast as possible, with no escort save any personal guard who managed to notice and saddle up before Gabriel left. It drove the Queen crazy every time.

           “Shouldn’t you wait until after the ball?”

           Gabriel furrowed his brow, genuinely confused. “What ball?” He still didn’t look up. Adrien tried a different approach.

           “What makes you think this has anything to do with my mother’s disappearance?” Gabriel sighed impatiently, but handed him a sheet of paper. Adrien read it.

           “This is an arrest record from Mama’s kingdom. It’s five years old.”

           “For a very dangerous sorcerer named Rothbart. I missed it when I first went through your kingdom’s records, looking for enemies the late King might have had. Your kingdom’s filing system, by the way, is best described as ‘nonexistent’.” Gabriel started to pack away the papers and books that, evidently, were relevant to his breakthrough.

           “But this says all his magic was destroyed and he was exiled.”

           “His notes were confiscated; I’ve been going through them. He was doing some very dark experiments on ancient magical artifacts called Miracle Stones, enhancing and twisting their power beyond their original purpose. According to his notes, Miracle Stones _cannot_ be destroyed, and yet none were confiscated. I think he managed to keep them, and build his power back up in secret. Dark experiments on the Butterfly Stone could easily account for the attack Adele’s father described. This book,” he gestured to the indecipherable tome as he packed it away, “is supposed to describe the Miracle Stones in incredible detail; if they’re the source of Rothbart’s power, we’ll be able to defeat him.” Gabriel took the arrest record from Adrien and packed it with the rest of his books and papers, walking away without another word.

           Resigned, Adrien headed off to look for Nathalie and warn her that Gabriel was taking off again.

 

      ~~~

 

           Far away, deep in the most wild forests of Uberta’s kingdom, lay a forgotten castle. It was on a gorgeous lake that reflected the moonlight perfectly, and surrounded by the most beautiful gardens; the statues and structures within were somewhat worn with time, but they added to the romance of the place. The air simply cracked with magical energy.

           Within one of those gardens, near the edge of the forest, a meeting was taking place.

           Adele frowned as she filed another notch in a large oak. “All right, escape plan number,” she counted under her breath, “thirty-five, forty, forty-five...good Lord, are we all the way up to plan forty-seven? Well, escape plan number forty-seven is officially a bust,” she announced to the three figures floating before her. “In retrospect, it was probably a mistake to take Plagg at his word when he told us he could command cats.”

           “I said I could _talk_ to cats, I never promised they’d listen,” Plagg said defensively.

           “Or that they knew how to follow directions,” Tikki added.

           Adele leaned against the opposite tree and chewed on a nail, deep in thought. She gazed at the notches, each one representative of a small flame of hope that had been snuffed out at some point in the last two years.

           “I think we've basically exhausted all our options for sending a message out at this point,” she said finally. “It's time to revisit breaking into the castle.”

           The assembled kwami exchanged nervous glances. “That...didn't work out so well last time,” Tikki reminded Adele gently.

           “I know.”

           “And Hawkmoth’s powers have only been growing since then.”

           “I know.”

           “If he catches you-”

           “I _know_ , Tikki. But we’re running out of time. Pretty soon, he’ll be powerful enough to take both kingdoms by force, and he won’t need me alive anymore.”

           “Don’t lose hope, Adele!” Tikki said. “I’m sure Gabriel will find you before then.”

           “Love isn’t magic, Tikki,” Adele replied. “Well,” she amended, seeing the look on Tikki’s face, “yes, _technically_ , it is actually the exact magic we need to break this curse, but it’s not going to suddenly make Gabriel omnipotent. If he hasn’t found us by now-and with all the enchantments surrounding this place, finding us might just be impossible-he’s not going to without some help.”

           “He’s coming!” cried Nooroo, who had until this point been silent. The other three immediately looked at him.

           “Did he hear anything?” Adele asked. Nooroo shook his head.

           “No, but he’s almost...oh!” And with that, all three kwami vanished from view. Adele sighed, sat on a nearby bench and waited.

           “Well, well, well,” a familiar voice finally said from behind her. “Looks like the cat’s out of the bag.”

           Adele groaned audibly. “Is that why you’re late? You had to come up with a pun first? How long did that take you?”

           “What is this, your twenty-ninth escape attempt? Thirtieth?”

           “Sure, let’s go with thirty,” Adele said, continuing to stare straight ahead.

           “When will you realize it’s hopeless, and your only option is to accept my proposal?” Hawkmoth sat down next to her; Adele fought the urge to get up and move away, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of rattling her. “You’re being very illogical about all this.”

           “That’s me,” Adele agreed flatly. “Completely illogical.”

           “Don’t you want to be a queen?”

           “I’m already a queen,” Adele said, a touch of ice creeping into her voice despite herself.

           “Oh, you’re not still mad about that, are you?” Adele grabbed the edge of the bench, her knuckles turning white, and said nothing. Hawkmoth laughed. “I never would have killed him if I’d known you were going to be so sensitive about it.”

           “ _Sensi_ -mph,” Adele did her best to muffle her outrage, but it was starting to get the better of her.

           “I’m sure your father wouldn’t have wanted you to be shut away here forever,” Hawkmoth continued.

         “Is your argument that I should marry my father’s murderer and hand his kingdom over because he would have wanted it?”

         “My argument is that you have precious few options, and they are slowly dwindling. My generous offer will expire one day, and then you will be out of options entirely. Marry me, Adele. Before it’s too late.”

           “Not if you were the last man in the world,” Adele said, her voice shaking only slightly. Hawkmoth stood.

           “Clearly you need another day to think things over.” He stood and looked to the east. “I do believe those are the first rays of dawn,” he said, his tone light and mocking. “Until tomorrow, Princess.” He bowed and vanished into thin air.

           Adele looked up at the sky, and her heart sank. Oh, how she had grown to hate the sun. Before her transformation took hold, she turned her gaze westward, towards the capital city. “Oh, Gabriel, please hurry,” she whispered. “I’m not sure how much more of this I can take.”


	4. Convergence

           Prince Gabriel had been gone a week when the kitchen staff got word that Prince Adrien wasn’t feeling well, and his meals should be delivered to his room.

           “Marinette, you deliver this,” her mother said. Marinette practically dropped the plate she was holding.

           “Me? I don’t deliver food! Aren’t there...protocols, or something? What if I do something wrong?”

           “Don’t be ridiculous,” her mother said impatiently. “I’m worried about that boy, and he clearly likes you, so you’re going to deliver this, and you’re going to make sure he’s alright, understand?”

           “Okay, okay!” Despite being a head taller than her mother, Marinette would never have dreamed of arguing when Sabine used that tone of voice. It was lucky, for both Marinette and the world in general, that Sabine only used her powers for good.

           Marinette almost never went to this part of the castle, and she was so worried about getting the wrong room that when she finally found Adrien’s, she burst in without knocking. “Hi Adri-I mean, your high-that is-oh, shoot, I was supposed to knock! I’m so sor-I’ll just-but I’ll leave this-wait, you’re not sick. What are you doing?” Halfway through Marinette’s mortified panic attack, she’d finally noticed that Adrien was not, in fact, sick in bed. He was fully dressed, and appeared to be packing. He stared at Marinette, frozen. “Are you...leaving?”

           “No, I’m just...um…” Adrien rushed past Marinette suddenly and shut the door. “Don’t tell anyone,” he said.

           “Don’t tell anyone _what_?”

           “I just, I need to go talk to someone. I’ll be gone a few days at most.”

           “A few _days_? You think nobody’s going to notice that a crown prince is missing for _days_? I'm nobody, and I'm still pretty sure that if I was missing for longer than an hour my mother would-” Adrien looked away, clearly embarrassed, and it occurred to Marinette suddenly that maybe there _wasn’t_ anyone that would notice. She turned bright red, hating herself. “I mean…”

           “Lady Nathalie will notice eventually, but I'm pretty sure I have enough time to get to the docks.”

           “Won't you be recognized?”

           “Oh, no,” Adrien said confidently. “My mother used to do this all the time when she was my age, and she said she never got caught.”

           “She snuck off by herself all the time?”

           “Well...no, she always went with friends I think. But I'll be fine.” Adrien continued packing. Marinette had a quick internal battle with herself, then sighed.

           “I should come with you,” she said. Adrien’s face lit up.

           “You mean it? That would be amazing, Marinette, thank you. Meet me behind the stables in twenty minutes?”

           “I’ll be there,” Marinette said.

 

        ~~~

           

           Forty minutes later, Adrien was starting to wonder if Marinette had stood him up. Finally, he saw her approaching from the castle, head bowed and walking briskly. She had the hood of her cloak pulled up over her face, and she was carrying a pack roughly three times the size of Adrien’s. She didn’t slow down as she approached him.

           “Okay, let’s go,” she said as she passed him. Adrien ran to catch up.

           “What took you so long?” Adrien asked.

           “Oh, um...my parents caught me,” Marinette said, embarrassed. “Don’t worry,” she continued, catching the look on Adrien’s face, “they won’t say anything. They just insisted on packing every single piece of food they could find, that’s all. Sorry.”

           “For what?” Marinette didn’t have an answer to that, so they walked in silence for a few minutes.

           “So...who are we going to talk to, anyway? You never told me,” Marinette finally said.

           “Oh, right.” Adrien filled Marinette in on Gabriel’s latest breakthrough. “And after he left, I found some notes he left behind. Apparently one of his sources called them ‘Miraculouses’ instead of ‘Miracle Stones’-Gabriel thought it was a translation error, so I don’t think he looked for it in the library, but I found this.” Adrien took out a thin book entitled The Miraculouses: An Introduction by Master Fu and handed it to Marinette. She flipped through it quickly.

           “This information looks pretty basic; is there anything in it that Prince Gabriel doesn’t already know?”

           “No,” Adrien admitted, “but I looked up the author, and it turns out he’s currently in my kingdom researching its coastal ley lines. I thought he might have found out something since writing this book.”

           “Ah.” This seemed kind of weak to Marinette, but she didn’t want to say so. “Well, it’s certainly worth investigating.”

           “I mean, he’s been all over the world, and now he’s in my kingdom, and he knows about Miracle Stones...it just seemed like fate, you know?”

           “Maybe,” Marinette replied noncommittally. Privately, she wondered why a boy who’d been through as much as Adrien had would bother believing in fate at all. Maybe it was a royalty thing. Or an optimist thing. Marinette wouldn't know about either.

           

        ~~~

 

           Meanwhile, Adele was reviewing the latest plan.

           “All right, it’s been twenty-four hours since Hawkmoth left,” Adele said. “Right?” Nooroo nodded, and Adele grinned (or rather, whatever was the closest approximation to a grin she could manage in her current state). The plan had been ready to go for a few days, but Adele hadn't been expecting the opportunity to actually execute it to come along so soon. The four of them had agreed to begin once Hawkmoth had been absent for two days; he often left in order to seek out new sources of power, but usually he was either back within a day or gone for at least a week. He relied on a complicated series of spells, wards and shields to keep Adele and the kwami in line in his absence, and it had always worked perfectly...until now, Adele hoped.

           “Excellent. We’ll wait another twenty-four hours just to be safe. Tikki, Plagg, you’ve completed your search of his tower?”

           Tikki nodded energetically. “Yes! We’re certain we’ve detected all his wards this time.”

           “Perfect. Then right before dusk tomorrow, I’ll fly up to the top of the roof and wait for sunset.”

 

        ~~~

 

           Marinette had never been outside Queen Uberta’s kingdom in her life, or on a ship, or even outside the capital city. She'd never really minded, but she'd be lying if she said she didn't occasionally fantasize about getting caught up in some exciting court intrigue, or helping a sorcerer, or going on some adventure. Now she was in a foreign kingdom, with the crown prince himself, on an undercover mission to save a missing queen.

          For some reason, Marinette had never imagined it being this... _exasperating._

           “Your-Adrien,” Marinette whispered as they made their way through the city. “Everyone is moving out of our way.”

           “And?” Adrien looked at her, nonplussed.

           “It’s _weird_ , don’t you think?”

           “Of course not, it’s just people being polite.” Yet another man on the street took one look at Adrien’s face and immediately backed five steps out of the way, bumping into a fruit cart and sending oranges everywhere. The cart seller started to yell at the man until he, too, caught sight of Adrien. Marinette winced.

           “Maybe you can’t tell, because you’re used to people acting this way, but I’m telling you, this is not how commoners treat each other. People can definitely recognize you.”

           “That’s ridiculous, we blend in perfectly.”

           “That woman just _bowed_ , Adrien.”

 

        ~~~

 

           As the sun set a day later, Adele’s transformation fell away. She held her breath as she opened the door and crossed the threshold into the tower. The last time she’d tried to enter was almost a year ago, and Hawkmoth’s wards had caught her immediately. It had been excruciating, and when Hawkmoth had finally shown up to free her…well. Suffice it to say, she would not have risked repeating the experience if she had not grown so desperate.

           Three steps in, she finally allowed herself to exhale in relief. Tikki had been right after all; the upper floors were not warded against Adele’s human form. Adele quickly descended the tower’s staircase to join the kwami, unwilling to spend any more time than absolutely necessary inside Hawkmoth’s lair.

 

        ~~~

 

           Finally, Adrien and Marinette reached the author’s small house near the sea, on the outskirts of the city. Adrien hesitated for a moment before knocking. A small old man with wise eyes opened the door, looked up at them, and smiled.

           “What an honor, the queen’s son at my home!” Marinette glared at Adrien. He coughed, embarrassed.

           “We’re trying to keep a low profile...may we come in?”

           “Of course, of course!” They were quickly ushered in, and soon the three of them were seated in a cozy room, sharing a pot of tea. “Now then, how can I assist the royal family?” Master Fu asked once they were settled. In response, Adrien took the book out of his pack and handed it over. “Ah, yes, the Miraculouses...fascinating artifacts, fascinating. Unfortunately without one to study directly, my research never went very far and I was forced to pursue other interests-” he noticed that Adrien’s face fell at this news, “-but if you have one, perhaps I could be of assistance?”

           “We don’t have one,” Marinette said bluntly. “The man who kidnapped Queen Adele does.” The master’s face darkened.

           “That is very serious, I’m afraid. The spirits of the Miraculous choose their champions very, very carefully; if there is a villain with enough power to take one by force, he would be very difficult to defeat once he’d added the Miraculous’ power to his own.”

           “He was doing experiments on them,” Adrien said, “and he has more than one. Do you know anything at all that wasn’t in your book, anything that might help us defeat him?”

           Fu shook his head sadly. “I’m afraid everything I ever discovered is in the book you’re holding. I believe some magicians at the University managed to get farther than I, but you’d have to travel there and ask them yourselves. I haven't researched the Miraculouses for many years.”

           “So...we came all this way for nothing?” Adrien looked so devastated that Marinette couldn't stand it.

           “What about finding them?” she asked suddenly. “Do you know anything that could help us with that?” Fu began to shake his head again, then paused.

           “Actually…you said he’s been experimenting on them? And he has more than one?” They nodded in unison. “I may have something. I never did get it to work, so I never bothered publishing it, but I did devise an experimental spell for tracking them. Ultimately, the magical signature of a single Miraculous was too weak to trace with my technique. However, if multiple Miraculouses are in the same place, and their power has been amplified…I’ll get my notes.” He got up and left the room.

           Marinette glanced over at Adrien. “How are you doing?” she asked. He inhaled shakily and smiled at her.

           “Good, good...it feels strange, to actually be making progress after so long, you know? I’ve been watching Gabriel throw himself into this for years, but I never thought I could help before now. Marinette…” Adrien hesitated. “Do you think my mother is still alive?”

           Marinette had been expecting this question sooner or later, but dreading it all the same. “I don't know, Adrien,” she finally answered. “I hope so, I really do.” This clearly wasn't the answer Adrien was hoping for, but he accepted it gracefully, and they waited in silence.

           Finally, Master Fu returned with a giant stack of disorganized papers. He dropped them on the table, and then split them into three smaller piles. “Grab a stack,” he instructed, “this will go faster if we split it up.”

           Fifteen minutes later, Marinette found the spell in her pile, and Fu immediately got to work gathering the necessary ingredients. He left the room, then returned shortly with a map, pen, and a bowl of dry ingredients that were currently on fire. He swept everything off the table unceremoniously and spread the map out.

           “Get comfortable, this will probably take a while,” he told his guests. “I’ll be inhaling this smoke and reciting the spell to enter the location trance. If I'm successful, after about an hour or two I’ll circle the correct area on the map, hopefully narrowed down to a few square miles at most.” He sat down, leaned over the smoke, and began to recite something. Within a minute, his eyes were closed and he was perfectly still.

           “Are we allowed to talk during this?” Marinette whispered to Adrien after a few minutes of waiting. He shrugged silently. “Is a few hours normal for this kind of thing?” Again, Adrien shrugged.

           “I don't actually know that much about magic,” he whispered back. “A few hours seems reasonable for what we’re trying to do, though.”

           “Sure,” Marinette whispered, “but it's already past sunset and the captain said we had to be on the boat by dawn if we want to go back home tomorrow. If it takes Fu more than a few tries to get this right-”

           Just then, Master Fu’s eyes flew open and the hand holding his pen fell on the map. He circled a small area within the eastern forests of Uberta’s kingdom, then blinked rapidly.

           “Did it work? How long was I out for?”

           “Five minutes, maybe?” Marinette looked to Adrien, who nodded in agreement. Fu’s face went white.

           “Five minutes? That can't be…” He looked down at the map, horrified.

           “Did it not work?” Marinette asked. Fu shook his head.

           “On the contrary, it worked far too well. For the spell to produce results so quickly, and so precisely…the man who kidnapped the queen must have amassed an unprecedented amount of power. This man is a grave threat to the safety of the world.”

 

        ~~~

 

           “Not that room,” Tikki warned. Adele glanced in. She saw a small blue fairy, unconscious and suspended in a crackling magical field.

           “Is that…the peacock kwami?” Tikki nodded sadly.

           “Hawkmoth is using her to power your curse,” she explained. Adele felt sick.

           “Is it hurting her?”

           “Not exactly, but…” Tikki shuddered, clearly disturbed. “We should keep moving.”

           “What if I just grabbed her? Would that break the curse?”

           “Probably,” Tikki said, “but I doubt either of you would survive it.”

           “Oh.” Adele took one last look at the kwami, feeling a peculiar mix of guilt and rage as she did so, and then forced herself to move on.

 

        ~~~

 

           It was late afternoon the next day when Marinette and Adrien finally arrived home. As they approached, they could see both Prince Gabriel and Lady Nathalie waiting for them outside.

           “What were you _thinking_?” Gabriel demanded once they arrived. “Adrien, this is simply unacceptable. You can’t just run off on your own with no warning.”

            _Why not, you do it all the time_ , Marinette thought to herself; she would never say such a thing out loud to the future king, of course, but she was surprised that Adrien didn’t say it. Instead, Adrien simply stood their silently as Gabriel continued to lecture him.

           “…don’t know what could possibly be so important that you’d risk your life, terrifying Nathalie and myself, and I certainly don’t know where you got the idea that-”

           “We know where Rothbart is!” Marinette shouted suddenly, unable to listen to another second. Gabriel instantly fell silent, and looked at Marinette as though he honestly hadn’t been aware she was even there. “Um…your highness, that is.” Marinette curtsied awkwardly as Prince Gabriel continued to stare at her, dumbfounded.

           “You…what?” He looked back at Adrien, who silently pulled out Fu’s map and handed it over.

           “A researcher in my kingdom was able to trace the Miracle Stones…but he said the power signature was too strong, that Rothbart is-”

           “Oh, don’t worry about that,” Gabriel said, looking at the map as though he couldn’t believe it was real. “My colleagues at the University and I were able to devise a way of severing the link between a Miracle Stone and its holder. Finding Rothbart’s lair was the only piece of the puzzle missing, Adrien, and you’ve done it.” He looked at Adrien, his eyes shining with an almost fanatic hope that Adrien had never seen before. “We’re finally going to do it. After all this time, we’re finally going to rescue your mother.”

 

        ~~~

 

           “After all this time,” Adele whispered, looking at the delicate spell of chalk runes covering the floor in front of her, “I’m finally going to leave this damned castle.” She looked at Tikki. “You’re positive Hawkmoth won’t be able to feel this spell being broken?”

           Tikki nodded. “It’s a localized spell, it’s not tied to his power directly. All you need to do is disrupt it.”

           Adele took a deep breath, knelt down, and smudged one of the runes. “Is that it?”

           “That’s it. Now all you have to do is get back to the roof before sunrise and fly away once you transform.”

 

        ~~~

 

           “All I have to do,” Gabriel explained to Adrien as he got ready to leave early the next morning, “is get close enough to cut him with this.” He unsheathed a rune-covered sword, with small, light blue stones embedded near the edge. “The spell for severing a Miracle Stone link was in the tome, and I had a magician embed the spell into the metal itself. Once Rothbart’s connection to the source of his power is severed, he’ll be easy enough to kill.”

           Adrien stared at the sword. “Will it really be that easy?”

           “Well...getting close enough to strike might be a problem. I don’t know which of the Miracle Stones he currently possesses, but some of them are capable of flight; he might attack from a distance. I’ll bring a bow just in case.” Gabriel took out the map and studied it for a moment. “It will probably take me half a day to reach her, so don’t worry if I’m not back before tomorrow.” Adrien nodded.

           “Are you sure I shouldn’t come with you?” Gabriel raised an eyebrow.

           “I’m not sure I see the point of going to all the trouble of rescuing your mother if she’s just going to murder me for bringing you along when I do. No, Adrien, you’ve done more than enough.” He hesitated. “Going out on your own, finding a way to locate your mother against all odds, it’s...well, it’s what Adele would have done.”

           Adrien was certain that, for Gabriel, there was no higher praise. He tried to respond, but the words caught in his throat. Instead, he hugged Gabriel impulsively. “Bring her back,” he finally whispered.

           “I will,” Gabriel promised him.

 

        ~~~

  
           From the roof of Hawkmoth’s lair, Adele turned her gaze to the east and smiled. For the first time in two years, she was actually looking forward to the dawn.


	5. The Reunion

           More than anything, Gabriel wanted to ride as fast as possible to the circled spot on the map. However, he knew it would take him at least half a day, maybe more, to reach it-and that was assuming he found it with ease, in the middle of a massive, untamed forest that he hadn’t searched in two years. It was also assuming that he’d be able to find some way of penetrating whatever had shielded Rothbart’s lair from his search parties two years ago. Racing off might get him there faster...or it might get him lost, or his horse injured, or he might arrive far too exhausted to defeat Rothbart. So Gabriel, practical even as he was chasing a desperate dream halfway across his kingdom, forced himself to travel carefully.

 

        ~~~

 

           Adele finally started to get her bearings around mid-day. She knew Uberta’s castle was to the west, which helped narrow her search down somewhat, but this was still a part of the kingdom she didn’t know. As much as she wanted to just pick a direction and fly as fast as she could, Adele knew the smarter course of action was to learn as much as possible about where she was before taking off. She had time, she needed to do this right.

 

        ~~~

 

           Gabriel had stopped and dismounted in a clearing to consult his map for what felt like the hundredth time that afternoon; the villain’s lair _should_ have been nearby, but now Gabriel seemed to be going in circles. After a few minutes of study, he once again felt reasonably confident he knew where he was. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw it. Off in the distance, a peacock, a bird not native to this forest. One of the seven animals of the Miracle Stones. Flying unnaturally well...and coming right for him.

           Rothbart.

           Instantly, Gabriel’s left hand flew to his bow; with the other, he shoved the map back inside his pack and reached for an arrow.

 

        ~~~

 

           Adele couldn’t quite believe her eyes when she saw Gabriel. Of course, it didn’t help that as a peacock, her eyesight was a lot, well, _weirder_. It wouldn’t be the first time she’d gotten confused looking at something. But no, despite the distance and the years and all the odds, she was certain, beyond any shadow of a doubt, that she was looking at Gabriel. In that instant, she felt she’d know him anywhere at all.

           And that's when Gabriel fired at her.

 

        ~~~

 

           Marinette walked down to the stables shortly before dusk; Adrien had been sitting outside them, leaned against the wall and facing the woods, since Gabriel had departed. She didn’t notice until she was right over him that he’d nodded off. “Adrien?”

           His head jerked, and he looked up at her with a start. “What happened? Did-”

           “Nobody’s back yet,” she said quickly. “I just, um.” She pulled a folded quilt out of her bag. “My mother said to bring you this.” She dropped it next to Adrien, who gingerly unfolded it.

           “Thanks.” He yawned, then shook the quilt out and spread it over himself. “They probably won’t be back for a while still. I’ll let you know what happens tomorrow, promise.” Adrien sighed. “I spent two years just waiting, but now, after actually doing something, it feels weird to be waiting again.”

           “Want me to wait with you?” Despite everything that they’d been through together, the offer still caught Adrien off-guard. He looked at Marinette’s face; there was no trace of the pity or obligation he’d picked up on from her two days ago. Just a friend with a sincere, impulsive offer.

           Wordlessly, Adrien patted the ground next to him and Marinette sat down.

 

        ~~~

 

           Adele reached the lake just in time, Gabriel hot on her trail. She dove for the water just as the sun finally dipped below the horizon, and the now familiar vortex of light and water began to surround her. She breathed a sigh of relief as the transformation began to drop. She was safe now. Gabriel would see her, and-

           An arrow flew through the edge of the vortex, narrowly missing Adele’s shoulder. “Really?” she whispered to herself. “ _Really_?”

           From the edge of the forest, Gabriel grabbed yet another arrow out of his quiver and began to aim it. It _would_ be a flying monster, instead of something he could attack with the sword. Gabriel wasn't even sure that the beast could be harmed at all while it was transforming, but firing at the blinding vortex of light seemed safer than waiting for the villain to finish transforming into whatever monster was next.

           Just as he was about to release, the light faded. There, at the edge of the lake, was Adele. Gabriel relaxed his pull in shock. She was a vision, still in the dress he’d last seen her in two years ago, exactly as he'd pictured her every time he'd imagined this moment.

           Well…not _exactly_ , which was how Gabriel knew this was real and not a trick or hallucination. Instead of smiling gratefully, or gazing at him in wide-eyed adoration, Adele was scowling angrily.

           “Put that thing _down_ , Gabriel!” she shouted. “Hasn't our great romantic destiny been tested enough without you literally trying to kill me?”

           In response, Gabriel threw his arrow and bow to the ground and ran for her as fast as he could. Adele was caught off guard for a moment, but then she laughed and ran towards him. They collided into each other, spinning and kissing and hugging and touching as though they couldn't quite believe the other was real. They couldn’t seem to get close enough.

           “Oh, Gabriel, I thought I was going to die in this godforsaken place,” Adele whispered, as Gabriel kissed her forehead over and over. “Without ever telling you how sorry I was.”

           Gabriel pulled back to looked at her. “ _You’re_ sorry? I'm the one who…Adele, I've been in love with you since we were twelve, and I almost lost you forever because I was too dense to realize it.”

           “No, I should have-really, twelve?” Adele grinned, a sight Gabriel hadn't seen in two years, since Adele first told him that she loved him.

           “Ever since you...well, there will be time for that later, after I’ve defeated Rothbart. Where is he?”

           “Who?”

           “Rothbart? The… the sorcerer who kidnapped you? Wielder of the dark arts via unnatural experiments upon the Miracle Stones?” Gabriel wondered, just for a moment, if it was actually possible his entire theory had been completely wrong and he’d found Adele through sheer coincidence.

           “Oh, _him_.” Adele’s face darkened. “I have no idea where he’s gone. Goodness, is that his real name? No wonder he started calling himself Hawkmoth.”

           “He’s gone?” This was not at all a possibility that Gabriel had considered.

           “Just for a few more days, probably.” Adele quickly filled him in on her curse and the details of her escape. “I can’t be sure exactly when he’ll return, but he’ll be more powerful when he does. The last time he was gone this long, he came back with Plagg-he’s the black cat kwami.”

           “So he has the Butterfly Stone, the Peacock Stone _and_ the Black Cat Stone? Three?”

           “And the ladybug one. And whichever one he’s tracking now he might have. So either four or five.”

           Gabriel’s face went a shade paler. “Well...I suppose that doesn’t really change my plan. I’ll just have to be that much better when he finally shows up.”

           Adele narrowed her eyes. “You don’t think you’re staying, do you?”

           “What? Of course I’m staying.”

           “No,” Adele said, “you’re going back to your castle. Tonight.” Gabriel stiffened.

           “You want me to leave? After everything I've been through to find you?”

           Adele raised her eyebrows. “Did your father’s murderer also kidnap you and turn you into a bird every day for the last two years?”

           “Well, no, of course not, but-”

           “Then I'm afraid you don't get to play the ‘After Everything I’ve Been Through’ card with me,” Adele told him.

           “I can’t believe this. Am I just supposed to go home and forget I ever found you?”

           “No, of course not,” Adele said impatiently. “Go home, come back with a magician-enhanced super army, and lay waste to his fortress of magic.”

           Gabriel looked at her, tilting his head slightly. “You know you're widely regarded to be the greatest peacemaker my kingdom’s ever known? I don't think I ever expected to hear the words ‘super army’ leave your lips.”

           “Oh! Bring trebuchets,” she added.

           “Adele...everyone is convinced you’re dead. _Everyone_. And the longer I held out, insisting you were still alive somewhere, the crazier I looked. I think I'm going to have to find a way to definitively prove you’re still alive before I have the prerequisite credibility necessary to lead a ‘magician-enhanced super army with trebuchets’ as you put it. So I need to defeat Rothbart on my own, unless...could you come back with me?”

           “Can we make it back before dawn?” Gabriel shook his head. “In that case, I doubt you showing up with a peacock and claiming it’s your long-lost fiancée is going to help convince people you’re not crazy.” Adele frowned. “I guess we need to break this curse.”

           “Do you know how?”

           “Good news, yes. You need to make a vow of everlasting love-” Adele was cut off as Gabriel immediately dropped to one knee.

           “Adele,” he said solemnly, “You are the most incredible woman I’ve ever met. Your kindness and bravery seem to know no limits. You are the dearest friend I’ve ever had. In any life we might have had, from royalty to commoner, I can think of no greater honor than to spend mine with you. I should have told you that two years ago, and it will haunt me forever that I did not, but I will spend the rest of my life making it up to you. I vow to love you, and only you, forever.”

           Adele’s heart caught in her throat. “Oh Gabriel, I…” At a loss for words for perhaps the first time in her life, she pulled him to his feet and kissed him deeply.

           “So it worked?” Gabriel asked when they finally pulled away from each other. Adele winced.

           “Ah...no,” she admitted.

           “No?”

           “Well, if you’d have let me _finish_ , love, I would have gotten to the bad news: To break the curse, you must make a vow of everlasting love and prove it to the world.”

           There was an awkward pause.

           “How exactly am I supposed to manage that?” Gabriel finally asked. Adele shrugged.

           “Tikki wasn’t really sure...she did think it was probably a very flexible requirement, at least.” She sighed and sat on a nearby bench, pulling Gabriel down with her. They held each other, Adele’s head on Gabriel’s shoulder, and thought silently for a few minutes.

           “What about proving it to a ballroom full of representatives of every kingdom on the continent?” Gabriel suggested. Adele nodded slowly.

           “Yes...yes, I think that would probably do it.”

           “Perfect. Mother’s throwing a huge ball tomorrow night.”

           “Really? With that many people?”

           “Well, it was going to be less. It was also going to be last week, but then I found that book on the Miracle Stones and, well, it had to be pushed back. Mother was _extremely_ put out. I think she invited more people to spite me.”

           “To spite you?” Adele narrowed her eyes, suspicious. “What’s this ball for, again?” Gabriel mumbled something under his breath in response, so Adele poked him in the side.

           “Fine, fine. She’s trying to marry me off to someone. Anyone, actually, at this point.” He looked at Adele. “Don’t be mad, I really did try to prevent-” His explanation was cut off suddenly as Adele, far from being angry, suddenly burst into near-hysterical laughter. “What on earth is funny about this?”

           “It’s just,” Adele tried to compose herself, but she was clearly having trouble, “our whole lives, I was always the one who fought getting married, and you were always so...and now _you’re_ the one who…” she laughed again, and smiled at Gabriel. “Am I a bad influence on you?” she asked, clearly delighted. Gabriel raised an eyebrow, then bent over and kissed her lightly on the nose.

           “The worst,” he promised. “So...the plan.”

           “The plan. You go home, I come to your ball tomorrow night, we show everyone I’m still alive, break the curse, and come back here to defeat Hawkmoth?” Adele frowned. “Wait, how will I get to your castle in time? I can’t leave until sunset if I want to be human when I get there, and even if I could it’s too far to walk.”

           “I could ride back during the day,” Gabriel suggested, “with a transportation scroll.” Adele considered this, then shook her head.

           “I don’t think Hawkmoth will be back before then, but we shouldn’t take the chance. He’ll know if you come too close.”

           “I could hide it nearby, then. In the clearing where I first saw you, perhaps; do you remember where it is?”

           Adele cocked her head. “Do I remember the spot where my one true love tried his best to kill me? Yes, I think so.”

           “One true love?” Gabriel asked. Adele grinned.

           “I see your selective hearing is still intact.” She sighed deeply. “So that’s it, isn’t it? We actually have a plan. I guess that means it’s time for you to head back.”

           Gabriel hugged her tightly. “I’m not sure I can stand to leave,” he whispered.

           “That’s sweet, love, but it’s a long ride back. Besides, this is maybe a little vain, but I’d...I’d rather you weren’t around when the sun comes back up.”

           “Ah. In that case.” Gabriel took her hand and kissed the back of it softly. “Until tomorrow, Adele.”

 

        ~~~

 

           After riding all night, Gabriel finally made it home. Adrien was waiting in more or less the same spot Gabriel had left him. He was sitting on the ground next to the stable wall, leaning on the shoulder of that kitchen girl who’d helped him before, and they were both asleep under a quilt. The girl woke as Gabriel approached and dismounted, and she shook Adrien’s shoulder. Adrien yawned and looked up. Gabriel could see everything that went through Adrien’s mind in those moments-he was briefly disoriented, then he remembered where he was, what he’d been waiting for... and then he looked at Gabriel and realized he’d returned alone.

           “You...you didn’t…”

           “I found her,” Gabriel said immediately. “But the situation is...complicated. I’ll tell you everything. But the important thing is, we have a plan, and I’ll need your help; if everything goes right, she’ll be safe and back here before this time tomorrow.”

 

        ~~~

 

           Adele still couldn’t believe everything that had happened. In fact, the second Gabriel was out of her sight she started to doubt that it had happened at all. True, her nightmare wasn’t quite over yet, but just seeing Gabriel once more, finally getting to say the things she’d wanted to say two years ago and hear the things she’d imagined hearing him say, was so much more than she’d ever expected. Whatever happened now, she’d at least gotten that.

           Adele couldn’t wait to tell the kwami everything-particularly Tikki, who was the hopeless romantic of the trio and had always believed in…in…

           Mid-thought, Adele’s stomach began to sink.

            _Where were the kwami?_

           There was no reason, absolutely none at all, that they wouldn’t have appeared when she first arrived with Gabriel. _Maybe_ they’d have given her space for the first few minutes, when they’d mostly just been kissing, although Plagg probably wouldn’t have even bothered to do that. But she’d been back for nearly an hour now.

           “Tikki?” Adele called out nervously. “Plagg? Nooroo?” There was no response. Adele took a deep breath to steady herself, blinked back tears, and braced herself.

           “Hawkmoth?”

           “Did you miss me?”


	6. The Final Battle

           Around mid-day Marinette decided to sneak away from the busy kitchens and find out how things were going with Adrien. In all honesty, she probably could have just asked to leave, but her parents had been getting increasingly more encouraging of her budding friendship with the prince, and it was starting to get on Marinette’s nerves.

           After about ten minutes of searching, she finally found him at the archery practice fields. Prince Gabriel was rapidly shooting at a distant target over and over, his eyes slightly bloodshot, and Adrien was watching from the edge of the field. Both princes radiated deep aggravation.

           “Has the Prince gotten _any_ sleep in the last thirty hours?” Marinette asked as she joined Adrien. He rolled his eyes.

           “Three hours, maybe? Lady Nathalie got him to promise at least five, but half an hour ago he woke up and ran down here.”

           “To...practice archery?” Adrien shrugged.

           “Apparently yesterday he had trouble hitting his target. Ten arrows, all misses.”

           “What was he aiming at?”

           “My mother.”

           “What?”

           “In his defense, she was a peacock at the time.” Marinette took a minute to absorb this.

           “That is a _terrible_ defense,” she finally said.

           “Well…”

           “Just to be clear, Prince Gabriel tried his best to kill your mother, his long-lost love, failed, and instead of thanking his lucky stars, his response is target practice?”

           “It’s not a mistake I'm likely to make again!” Gabriel shouted at them from the practice ring. Marinette instantly turned bright red as she realized her future king could hear every word she said. “The next time I try to shoot someone, in all likelihood it _will_ be Rothbart, and all our lives might depend on my being able to actually hit what I'm aiming for!” He released his arrow, and it struck the target about five inches right of center. Gabriel swore. “I can snatch arrows out of the air, but I can't get one to actually hit what I'm aiming at?”

           “He can’t really do that, can he?” Marinette asked Adrien under her breath, her tone heavy with skepticism. Adrien shrugged.

           “Of course I can! Adrien, fire an arrow at me.” Adrien’s eyes widened in disbelief.

           “ _What_? No, that’s crazy.”

           “I’ve done it dozens of times before,” Gabriel insisted.

           “That’s not…”Adrien seemed to be struggling with his natural inclination to not argue or talk back, “that’s not the point! You’re dead on your feet, you need to _sleep_ if you want to be useful tonight, not practice archery or try to talk me into killing you!”

           “I shouldn’t have to talk you into anything, you’re my squire, you’re supposed to do what I tell you.”

           “ _That is not how being a squire works_ -” Adrien was cut off as Marinette put a hand on his arm.

           “If he does it, do you promise to get some rest?” she asked. Gabriel waved a hand impatiently.

           “Fine, fine,” he agreed. Marinette looked at Adrien, who sighed in defeat and grabbed a bow off the back wall.

           Adrien was actually a very good shot, or he wouldn’t have given in. He figured he could aim far enough to the right of Gabriel that the only way it could possibly be fatal would be if Gabriel intentionally dove in front of it. The worst he’d inflict was an arrow through the hand-Gabriel’s dominant hand, admittedly, which would not serve him well if Rothbart showed up and Gabriel needed to use that enchanted sword he’d gone to such trouble to get. But in all likelihood he’d just miss outright, and hopefully give up and go to sleep. Adrien had no idea how to get through to him if this didn’t work. Against all the odds, it seemed that sleep deprivation actually made Prince Gabriel _more_ stubborn.

           Rolling his eyes, Adrien lined up his shot, aiming about a foot away from Gabriel’s hand, and released.

           Prince Gabriel, bleary-eyed and exhausted, spun around so suddenly that Adrien and Marinette barely saw him move. In the space of a second he’d snatched the arrow right out of the air, turned back towards the target, aimed, and fired.

           And, once again, he was about half a foot off from the center.

           “Okay, that’s it!” Adrien shouted at Gabriel. “You promised! Right, Marinette?” He looked to her for backup, but Marinette was still staring in awe at the target, her mouth slightly open and her eyes twice as big as usual. Gabriel grabbed another arrow. Sighing, Adrien climbed over the fence and walked over to Gabriel.

           “Try again,” he said. Gabriel briefly shot Adrien a confused look, then lined up his shot and fired. Adrien narrowed his eyes.

           “Again,” he said, “but this time close your eyes.”

           “What?”

           “Not the whole time, just right before firing. Line it up, close your eyes, and release.” Gabriel seemed skeptical, but he grabbed another arrow and followed Adrien’s suggestion. The arrow flew straight into the center of the target.

           “You’re turning your head to look, after you release,” Adrien explained. “It's subtle, but it's still interfering with the trajectory. If you close your eyes, you don't have that impulse.”

           Gabriel frowned. “I’ve never had that problem before,” he said. Adrien shrugged.

           “Maybe you’ve just never been this invested in hitting your target before now.”

           “Perhaps.” He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I suppose I made you a promise, didn't I?”

           Adrien smiled in relief. “You did.”

           “You’ll wake me up before sunset?”

           “Of course.”

 

        ~~~

           

           Adele leaned against the back wall of her cell, arms folded, and stared coolly at a perfect replica of herself.

           “Well?” her doppelgänger asked. “How do I look?”

           Adele tilted her head. “From this angle I'm really starting to wonder if green is my color after all,” she replied lightly. “I mean, sure, it matches my eyes, but in this lighting-”

           “You know, you’re not as good at disguising your fear as you think you are,” Hawkmoth said, cutting her off. “And you should be afraid. Once I've tricked your prince into declaring his eternal love to the wrong person, you’ll have no chance of ever breaking that curse on your own.”

           “I think you might find Gabriel a little bit harder to trick than you think,” Adele replied. Hawkmoth shrugged.

           “I would prefer to not have to kill you both outright, but if it comes to that…” He grinned; it really was an uncanny sight. “Well, this was a nice chat, but I really must be going.”

           “Don't stay out too late!” Adele called after him sarcastically as he left. She sighed and counted to one hundred in her head. “Is he gone?” Nooroo materialized before her and nodded.

           Seeing herself from a third-person perspective had been, while somewhat horrifying, very educational. Like Adele, Hawkmoth’s illusion was wearing the same dress Adele had worn to her ball two years ago. Adele had really grown to hate that outfit, partly because it was what she’d been wearing the night everything has gone horribly, horribly wrong, but more practically just because wearing it for two years straight was a goddamned nightmare. It had gotten torn up and caught in things at least a dozen times over the years, mostly in the course of various escape attempts. It always reformed immaculately every evening, so Adele couldn't even tear pieces off to make it more practical. More than once she’d wished Hawkmoth had kidnapped her while she was wearing anything else.

           Tonight, for the first time, she was grateful for it.

           Smiling to herself, Adele reached up to her hair and pulled out one of the many jeweled hairpins; hairpins she’d almost forgotten she was wearing, until she saw them on Hawkmoth. Then she walked over to the cell door and started picking the lock.

 

        ~~~

 

           Gabriel, slightly less completely exhausted now that he was operating on six hours of sleep instead of three, had been waiting impatiently for about an hour. He wasn't sure how long it would take Adele to reach the scroll, or if she’d even be able to leave at sunset, but he didn't want to miss her so he was at the transportation spot the moment the sun was down. He’d just barely managed to convince Adrien that it might be dangerous and he should wait back in his room. He had the sword drawn, just in case.

           Finally, a bright circle began to glow on the floor, and a moment later Adele appeared at the center of it. Gabriel sighed in relief and put the sword back in its scabbard.

           “You made it; has Rothbart returned yet?”

           “No, we’re safe,” Adele assured him. She hugged him tightly. “I'm so glad this will all be over soon.”

           The sense of relief that Gabriel had just felt immediately began to give way to a small seed of doubt. Something was off.

           “No trouble finding the scroll?”

           “No, everything was perfect.” Adele smiled serenely up at him.

           She was so... _calm_. If Gabriel hadn't seen her last night, he might have just assumed it was the effects of two years of captivity and isolation, but twenty-four hours ago she had been her spitfire, passionate self.

           “Do you want to see Adrien first?” Gabriel asked on a whim.

           “Who? Oh, right. No, there should be plenty of time for that later. Let’s just get this curse broken as soon as possible, shall we?”

           Well. There it was. Fortunately for Gabriel, a lifetime of emotional restraint had prepared him for this moment; he was able to nod, kiss her forehead, and pretend nothing was wrong. “You should mingle,” he suggested. “Make sure everyone here knows you're still alive before I make my announcement.”

           “Good idea,” the thing that wore Adele’s face said, kissing Gabriel’s cheek before departing. Gabriel repressed an urge to shudder, then left to warn Adrien.

 

        ~~~

 

           Adrien could tell from Gabriel’s expression as he entered the room that something was wrong. “What happened? Did she make it?”

           “No. I need you to go to the stables and get a horse ready, and weapons. I need to be able to leave at a moment’s notice.”

           “Why don't you just leave now? And how do you know she won't come through later? It's still early.”

           “Someone else came through,” Gabriel said. “Whoever it is _looks_ like your mother, but...it’s either Rothbart or some trick of his. I don't want him to realize I know until I’ve figured out what his game is, exactly.”

           Adrien’s face went white. “Are you _sure_ it's not her? Maybe she just-”

           “I'm sure.”

           Adrien started to head for the door. “You can't be-I should check, I should-”

           “No.” Gabriel put an arm up to block Adrien from leaving. “No. Trust me when I tell you that you do not want to see your mother like _that_.”

 

        ~~~

 

           Adele stared up at Hawkmoth’s tower, chewing on a nail and thinking hard. Escaping the dungeon had been relatively easy, but getting out hadn’t actually done that much to improve her situation. She was still trapped, still cursed, and still prevented from entering the tower where Hawkmoth maintained all his wards and magics.

           “Do you think Gabriel will see through Hawkmoth’s disguise?” Tikki asked. Adele shrugged.

           “It's not like he can magically tell when it's me or not, he’s not that intuitive, but he is very observant. It doesn't matter. Either way, I need to get the wards down before Hawkmoth gets back.”

           “But how? You’ll be trapped if you enter through the lower floors, and you won’t be able to fly until tomorrow.”

           In response, Adele laced her fingers together, turned them inside out, and stretched her arms over her head. “Looks like I’m climbing up the outside of it, then,” she said.

 

        ~~~

 

           Gabriel entered the ballroom and was immediately intercepted by his mother.

           “ _What_ is going _on_ , Gabriel?” Gabriel ignored her and scanned the crowd. He found Adele almost instantly; the crowd was giving her a wide berth, but every eye in the place was on her. She smiled serenely, making her way through the giant ballroom. Gabriel turned back to his mother.

           “It’s a long story,” he said simply, “and I’m afraid it isn’t over yet. If you’ll excuse me.” He walked briskly towards Adele, who smiled when she noticed him approaching.

           “Are you ready, darling?” she asked him sweetly.

           “I think so,” he replied. He held out his hand to her. “Shall we?”

           Adele delicately placed her hand in Gabriel’s-

           And in one swift motion, he grabbed her and yanked her toward him with one hand while drawing his sword with the other, running its edge along her outstretched arm as he did so.

           An invisible shock wave radiated from the cut, knocking everybody in the room away from Adele. Gabriel managed to stay standing, barely, but most guests were knocked to the floor.

           Gabriel recovered quickly, pointing his sword at Adele. She was staring at the thin red line on her forearm in a quiet, unsettling disbelief. She glared at Gabriel.

           “I suppose you think you’re clever, don't you?”

           “I think I've severed your link to the Miracle Stones,” he replied, “and now you’re powerless to stop me from throwing you in prison and rescuing Adele.”

           “Oh, you severed my link all right. For that, I think I'll make sure you watch your princess die slowly. But it seems one cut only severs my link to one Stone,” she grinned manically, “and I have three more.”

           Gabriel took only half a second to absorb this information before lunging at her, but she’d already transformed into a flock of black butterflies, and his sword passed harmlessly through them. They quickly rose and flew out a nearby window.

           Gabriel turned and ran for the exit, racing to the stables.

 

        ~~~

 

           About five minutes after Gabriel had taken off, Marinette found Adrien. He was sitting on a bench in the stables, and seemed lost in thought.

           “Hey,” Marinette said softly. Adrien looked up.

           “Oh. Hi, Marinette.”

           “So...you weren't at the ball.”

           “No. Did you see what happened? Gabriel didn't really have time to catch me up.”

           “Yeah, I was helping put stuff out. Um...your mother was there.” Adrien nodded, unsurprised, so Marinette continued. “But she turned into a swarm of butterflies.”

           “Yeah, Gabriel thought that might happen.”

           “Really? That’s...specific. Pretty sure nobody else saw it coming.” She sat down next to Adrien. “So Prince Gabriel left to go save your mother-your real one, that is, not the butterfly one?” Adrien nodded.

           “I just feel so helpless, Marinette. I want to follow after him and help more than anything.”

           “So do it.”Adrien stared at her.

           “What?”

           “Do it? Do the thing you want to do?” This was, apparently, a foreign concept to Adrien. “Oh, come on, you ran away two days ago, didn't you?”

           “That was different...shouldn't you be telling me to stay safe, or have faith in the power of true love to save the day or something?”

           Marinette rolled her eyes. “True love is fine, I guess, but an extra pair of hands is better. Well, two extra.”

           “Two?” Marinette looked at Adrien, mock-offended.

           “You didn't think I wasn't coming, did you? After everything we’ve been through together?”

 

        ~~~

 

           It took Adele three tries before she made it to the third-story window without falling, her hands and feet scraped up and her right ankle throbbing, but finally she was back in the tower. She dusted herself off, then made her way quickly to where the barrier spell was drawn.

           When Adele had first interrupted this spell, she’d only smudged one rune, hoping that if Hawkmoth discovered it he’d assume some vermin had simply scurried across. But plausible deniability was no longer a consideration, and Adele had a lot of frustration she needed to work out, so she kicked at the circle over and over until there was just one giant chalk smudge on the floor of the room.

           “That was fun,” she said to Tikki. “Are there any more spells around to break? I’m in a breaking mood.”

           “Well, the Miracle Stones are too heavily protected, but maybe you could-”

            Adele collapsed in a dead faint.

 

        ~~~

 

           “Adele! Adele? Adele!”

           Adele’s eyes began to flutter open as the distant shouting of her name reached her ears. Her vision cleared, and she saw all three kwami hovering over her. She groaned and sat up slowly.

           “What happened?” she asked.

           “Gabriel broke your curse!” Tikki said cheerfully.

           “Well, he broke Hawkmoth’s entire hold on the peacock kwami,” Nooroo corrected her. “It had a rather violent rebound effect; I think the shock of it knocked you out.”

           “Adele!”

           Adele frowned. “Is that Gabriel shouting outside? Good lord, how long was I knocked out for?”

           “Only a few hours,” Plagg said.

           “ _Hours_?” Adele got up and raced to the window. “Gabriel!” she shouted down at him, waving.

           Gabriel ran to the base of the tower. The entire ride there he’d barely been able to contain his panic, not knowing if it was even possible to get back to Adele before Hawkmoth did, or what state she’d be in when he arrived. He at least knew she’d be alive, thanks to Hawkmoth’s threat, but Gabriel couldn't quite believe his eyes when he saw that she was unharmed.

           “Adele! Are you alright? Should I come up?”

           “No, there are spells on the first two floors, I need to climb down the outside. Where’s Hawkmoth?”

           “On his way back here! Do you know if he can outrun a horse in his butterfly form?”

           Adele frowned. “I would've thought so,” she called down to Gabriel. She looked to the kwami by her side. “Have any of you detected-”

           A sudden explosion went off behind Adele, knocking her out of the window. Gabriel watched in horror as she fell three stories to the ground, rushing to her side as fast as he could.

           “Adele? Adele, can you hear me?”

           “Mm hmm,” she said weakly, starting to sit up until Gabriel stopped her.

           “Don't move, you might have a concussion or a spinal injury.”

          “Oh, I bet you say that to all the girls,” Adele said, giggling slightly.

           “So that’s a ‘yes’ on the head injury.” Gabriel leaned over and kissed her forehead gently, then stood and drew his sword, standing protectively over Adele. A moment later, Hawkmoth materialized.

           “The heroic prince finally graces us with his presence,” Hawkmoth said. “And now I imagine it's time for him to defeat the evil villain. Well, here I am.” Hawkmoth spread his arms out, inviting Gabriel to attack, and waited.

           In response, Gabriel simply widened his stance and braced himself. There was no way he’d be goaded into leaving Adele’s side if he could help it, not after Hawkmoth’s threat earlier. Hawkmoth frowned.

           “You won't make the first move, then? Very well.” He held his hand out, and a swarm of ladybugs started flying above it. There were only a few at first, but more and more joined them, coming from out of nowhere, flying faster and faster, until they formed a thick, spinning vortex that turned into a sword. Red and black, and easily a foot longer than Gabriel’s. Hawkmoth grinned.

           “En garde.”

           

        ~~~

 

           Adrien and Marinette arrived shortly after the fight began. Adrien had never come here before, obviously, but luckily Gabriel’s frantic ride had left a path that was very easy to follow, even in the dim moonlight.

           Across the lake, by a tower, Adrien could see Gabriel fighting someone, presumably Rothbart. The battle looked intense, and the villain’s weapon was considerably bigger than Gabriel’s, but all the same Gabriel was clearly the better swordsman of the two. He deflected and dodged each blow with precision and ease, almost dancing around his opponent, hunting for an opening.

           “ _Wow_ ,” Marinette said, dismounting. “He’s really good, isn't he? I thought he just read books all day.”

           Adrien joined her on the ground. “You’re not really impressed by royalty, are you?”

           “Should I be?”

           “Eh.” Adrien frowned, staring at the fight across the lake. “I'm not sure how we can help,” he said. “If we approach, it might distract him, and they’re moving around too much for me to fire at Rothbart from this distance and be sure of hitting him instead of Gabriel.” He grabbed his bow and an arrow, just in case. “I guess we just wait? I wonder how many Miracle Stone links he’s cut away.”

           “One down, three to go,” a voice right next to Adrien’s ear said.

           Adrien jumped about two feet in the air. “What the-what are you?”

           “ _What_ am I? Wow, your mother’s been talking my ear off about you since I got here, but she never mentioned how rude you were. Or how skittish. I am Plagg, the most powerful of all the kwami.” In mid-air, the small black fairy bowed graciously. “Sorry in advance if Hawkmoth winds up using me to kill you and everyone you love. If he pulls it off with any of us, it’ll be me. Just look at him now, he's using Tikki and it’s pathetic, but with _my_ powers-”

           Plagg’s bragging was interrupted as Gabriel finally got past Hawkmoth’s guard and scored a hit. The resulting shock of it knocked Adrien and Marinette back a few steps. When Adrien looked back across the lake, Hawkmoth’s sword had disappeared and Gabriel was regaining his balance.

           “So that’s two down, two to go?” Adrien asked Plagg. There was no response. Adrien looked around. “Plagg?”

           “I'm guessing that's bad,” Marinette said. The two looked back towards the fight.

           Hawkmoth began to glow bright green, and Gabriel braced himself, standing protectively over a figure that Adrien assumed was his mother. A second later, Hawkmoth was gone and in his place stood a giant black panther. It held up a paw threateningly, the claws seeming to give off a threatening shadow aura. Then it pounced.

           Gabriel was ready for it, and the panther’s claws landed right on the edge of Gabriel’s sword. There was a flash of blinding green light, and the now-familiar shockwave that knocked everyone back.

           “Ow!”

           Adrien looked at Marinette, panicked. “You're bleeding!” Marinette touched a hand to her cheek, then looked at the blood on her fingers.

           “It's just a scratch. How did-” she looked around for what had cut her, and found a shard of metal nearby. “What is this?”

           “That looks like...oh, no.” Adrien looked back towards Gabriel just in time to see him throw aside his useless hilt and draw a second sword-an ordinary one, powerless to sever the last Miraculous link. “Rothbart shattered Gabriel’s sword. How is Gabriel going to defeat him now?”

           Marinette looked at the shard in her hand, frowning. Adrien heard an inhuman screech and looked back; Rothbart had transformed yet again, into a giant flying beast. Its features were mostly moth-like, but with fangs and claws. The beast swooped at Gabriel again and again; Gabriel managed to fight it off each time, but now his arm was bleeding, and he didn’t seem to be dealing the beast any real damage.

           “Got it,” Marinette said suddenly.

           “What? Got what?”

           “Hand me your arrow.”

           “Why?”

           “ _Now_ ,” she demanded, so forcefully that Adrien stopped questioning her and handed the arrow over as fast as possible. She grabbed it, then with her other hand pulled out one of her two hair ribbons. She bent over the arrow, the hair on the right side of her head falling in her face and eyes, and pressed the sword shard against its tip, then started wrapping her ribbon tightly around them both. Comprehension finally dawned on Adrien.

           “Marinette, you’re a genius,” he said in awe. She blushed and finished tying the ends tightly together, then handed the arrow back to Adrien.

           “I don’t know if I can hit Rothbart from here,” Adrien said.

           “Prince Gabriel’s close enough to make that shot,” Marinette pointed out. “Aim at him.”

           Adrien took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Right.” He picked up his bow and walked to the edge of the lake. “Gabriel!” he shouted, as loud as he could.

           From the other side of the lake, Gabriel heard the shout and a bolt of fear shot through his heart. It was more deep, more pronounced, more primal a fear than any he’d ever felt in his life. Gabriel locked eyes with Adele and saw that panic mirrored on her face, even though she was barely conscious at this point. He turned towards the shout.

           “Adrien!” Gabriel shouted back, “Get out of-”

           Adrien released the arrow. Gabriel heard the familiar sound of the bowstring echo across the lake and realized, just in time, what was happening. He snatched the arrow out of the air and dove for his bow. In a second he’d nocked the arrow and aimed it at the beast.

           Rothbart had been flying higher and higher with each progressive dive; now he was almost a hundred feet above Gabriel, and diving quickly. Gabriel lined up his shot, aiming for the creature’s heart-

           -closed his eyes-

           -and released.

           The final shockwave was greater than the previous three combined; it knocked Gabriel flat on his back before he even realized his arrow had struck true. Slowly, he picked himself up. Across the lake, he could see Adrien helping that kitchen girl to her feet. Gabriel ran to Adele’s side.

           “It's done, love,” he told her, not really believing it himself until he'd said it out loud.

           “Adrien?”

           “Unharmed, I promise. I couldn't have defeated Rothbart without him.”

           Adele smiled. “My heroes,” she said. Gabriel heard running footsteps, and he got up and turned around. Adrien had run around the perimeter of the lake as fast as he could, and he was out of breath and red in the face.

           “Is...is she.. “

           “She’ll be perfectly fine; we shouldn't let her move until we can get some healers here, but in the meantime you can-” Adrien didn't wait for Gabriel to finish, pushing past him to see his mother for the first time in two years. Wordlessly he hugged her; both of them were crying.

           “I knew you were alive, everybody else thought we were crazy but I knew.”

           “I'm so proud of you,” Adele whispered. Then, with much more force than anyone would've thought she'd be able to muster in her current state, she smacked Adrien upside the head.

           “Ow! What was that-”

           “Don't you _ever_ ,” Adele interrupted, “risk your life for mine like that, _ever_ again, understand?” She grabbed him and hugged him tightly once more.

           “You would have _died_ ,” Adrien said defensively.

           “There are worse things than death,” Adele whispered.

           “Are you done harassing my squire?” Gabriel asked from a few feet away.

           “Just about,” Adele called back. She kissed Adrien’s forehead, then released him. Adrien stood and walked over to Gabriel.

           “Now what?” he asked.

           “Now?” Gabriel put a hand on Adrien’s shoulder, squeezing it tightly. “Now we go home.”


	7. Epilogue

Adele and Gabriel were married six months later.

           It was the event of the century, although to call it a single event was a bit misleading. It was a wedding, a double coronation and the unification of two major kingdoms all in one, and celebrations were held that day throughout their lands. Tales of King Gabriel’s daring rescue of his Queen had spread far and wide, and bards were already beginning to perform epic poems and ballads. After years of uncertainty and unease, the people were overdue for a happy ending, and they got it.

           It was an incredible whirlwind of a day, but when Adele would look back on it years later, the part that she’d remember most fondly occurred away from the crowds, with none of the pomp and circumstance that accompanied the other events of the day. In the quiet space of a few minutes stolen between the coronation and the ball, in a small side room with only Adele, Gabriel, Adrien and a royal notary, Gabriel signed a decree naming Adrien his heir.

 

        ~~~

 

           Many hours later, when the ball was in full swing, Adrien noticed that Marinette had disappeared.

           Marinette’s vital role in everything had not been downplayed, and the public adored the story of the ordinary kitchen girl whose bravery and cleverness had saved the kingdom. She was, naturally, a guest of honor at the wedding, and Queen Adele had offered, rather insistently, to making her a lady of the court, although Marinette had yet to accept.

           Adrien did his best to extract himself from the festivities, and was only intercepted by three courtiers before he managed to leave the ballroom. He found Marinette at the far end of the gardens, sitting inside a large gazebo. She was beautiful, with her hair up in a bun, wearing a giant ball gown that Nathalie had commissioned personally for the event, mostly silver with light pink floral accents. She looked up as he approached.

           “Sorry,” she said immediately. “I didn’t want to be rude, but-well, I guess that’s part of the problem. I’m not really sure how to act as a guest instead of as a servant.”

           Adrien sat down next to her. “You knew how to act as a servant?” Marinette smacked his arm, then burst out laughing.

           “Well, I knew who to mutter my snide comments to, anyway,” Marinette said.

           “Oh, you should direct those to my mother. You know if you accept her offer to be one of her ladies-in-waiting that’s basically your entire job description, right?”

           Marinette shrugged. “I know I should be jumping at the chance, but...it’s a _big_ change, Adrien. When I found you hiding in our pantry half a year ago, I didn’t expect it to lead to... _this_. I just need a little more time to adjust, that’s all.”

           Before Adrien could respond, a loud crack of thunder echoed loudly above them, and rain started pouring heavily all around the gazebo. “Oh, no,” Marinette said, “We’re stuck. Unless I want to ruin this dress, which probably costs more money than my entire family’s seen for three generations. Sorry for getting you trapped out here.”

           Adrien smiled. “Don’t apologize, this is nice.” He stood up and looked back towards the castle. “We can still hear the music from the ballroom. Shall we?” He offered her his hand, and she looked at it, uncharacteristically hesitant.

           “I don’t know how to dance,” she admitted.

           “Perfect, neither do I.” Adrien pulled her up and started spinning her around, wildly off-rhythm. She laughed and spun him back, and for a little while that was their entire world, spinning and laughing in a gazebo in the middle of the rain.

 

        ~~~

 

           “What are they _doing_?” Gabriel asked out loud, looking through one of the ballroom’s giant windows facing the gardens. Adele slid an arm around her husband and looked out to see her son and Marinette dancing in the distance.

           “It’s called dancing, Gabriel, everybody’s been doing it all night.”

           “I don’t recognize a single one of those steps.”

           “Hmm. Wait. Yes, I know that dance, it’s a bit obscure, it’s called They’re Teenagers And They’re Making It Up As They Go,” Adele said solemnly. Gabriel scoffed.

           “I can see there are some holes in his education that need patching.” He looked sideways at Adele. “Can’t have my heir embarrassing the new kingdom, after all.”

           Adele went up on her toes and kissed Gabriel’s cheek in response.

 

        ~~~

 

           Near the edge of the woods, hidden by the rain and the shadows, another pair was also spying on the two dancing in the gazebo.

           “What a resourceful girl,” Tikki said. “And so courageous.”

           “Yeah, and the boy’s got potential,” Plagg added.

           “I’ve been thinking,” Tikki continued, “that she might make a very fine Champion. Adrien too.” She looked at Plagg. “I think after everything we’ve been through, having a worthy Champion again might be just what we need. It might be what this new kingdom needs, too. What do you think?”

           Plagg smiled. “Sounds like fun.”


End file.
